


Count On Me

by thnx4thosmmrs



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Cute, Drama, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jealous Louis, Kid Fic, Louis-centric, M/M, Niall-centric, OT5 Friendship, Overprotective Zayn, a bit of angst, mentions of abuse, princess louis, princess niall, they like girl things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2018-04-28 09:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 89,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5086414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thnx4thosmmrs/pseuds/thnx4thosmmrs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“We’re bestest friends,” Zayn sighed happily, staring at the ceiling as he laid in the small bed with the others.</p><p>“Bestest friends 'til the very end,” Harry added with a smile, lying in between Niall and Louis.<br/>~<br/>[The AU where they meet as kids and grow up very close while Louis and Niall like to be treated like princesses despite what others say]<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oath

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy :)

_This is my oath to you ~ Cher Lloyd feat. Becky G_

* * * * *

The moms met back in their college days, all five of them instantly bonding over one thing or another. As the years went by and all five ladies started their own families, they were still close and even lived in the same area, though just shortly before Maura got pregnant with her first born, they ended up moving to Ireland for a few years where her and Bobby had their two boys.

It wasn’t until their return that Niall was introduced to the other four boys who were all basically the same age, except for Zayn who was a bit older than the rest followed by Liam, Harry and then Louis. By the time they met, they were three and clicked instantly.

~

 

“It feels so good to be back in London,” Maura sighed happily as they stepped foot in their new home, close enough to walk to her friends’ houses.

“Indeed it does. I love Ireland, but we’ve already had a life here and it feels more natural to be here than there,” Bobby agreed with a smile, carrying the last of their suitcases.

“Ma, Greg mean!” a tiny voice called out and the couple looked down to see the smallest of their two sons tumbling inside with an adorable pout on his cherub-like face.

“What did he do now?” Maura asked as she crouched down in front of him, staring into his deep blue eyes that sparkled with unshed tears.

“I didn’t do anything,” eight year old Greg sighed in irritation as he walked in.

“Did too! He pushed me!”

“Greg, stop pushing your little brother,” Bobby scolded half heartedly, not even paying much attention to his sons as he set the final box of kitchen things down.

“I get first dibs on me room cos I’m older,” Greg stated before stomping up the stairs as he avoided boxes and cluttered furniture.

Settling in took a full week for the family of four and Maura was itching for the weekend since that’s when her and her friends had made plans to meet up and catch up after all these years. They’d be having a small party in the Horan’s new house and hopefully introduce Niall to the group of four little boys who were best friends already.

“You sure introducing Niall to them will be a good idea?” Bobby asked his wife over tea the morning of.

“Bobby, the kid needs friends. He'll be going of to school in a few months and what better boys than them?” Maura responded as she cradled her mug in her hands before taking a sip.

“I know this, but Niall doesn’t do well with new people.”

Maura simply rolled her eyes and went to search for her boys to get them ready for the long day ahead of them. Niall was coloring in his room happily, a green crayon in his left hand as he colored Scooby-Doo. The three year old looked up at his mom with a smile and then went back to his little book.

~

The first one to arrive was Anne with Gemma and Harry. Anne had recently gotten divorced, shocking Maura since she’d thought Anne and Des had been in love. Even love dies.

“Anne!” Maura greeted as she hugged her friend, Gemma and Harry standing on either side of their mother.

“Oh Maura, it’s so good to see you again! Where are your boys? They must be so big,” Anne gushed as she pulled away.

“They’re upstairs. Niall was being a bit difficult and Bobby is talking to them. And you two are lovely,” Maura smiled down at the kids.

“Hi,” Gemma smiled up at the woman while Harry stood there a bit quietly, taking in his surroundings.

Eventually they’d all arrived and the house was filled with children running around and a baby crying, Jay trying to calm her daughter Lottie down. Eventually a pouty Niall walked down the stairs with Bobby holding his hand, Greg hurrying past the slow pair since Niall’s little converse covered feet tripped every few steps.

“About time,” Maura spoke up, making everyone turn to look at the pair walking down the stairs and making the tot blush and cling to his father.

“He’s so adorable!” Jay cooed, earning a huff from Louis who crossed his tiny arms across his chest, pretending to glare at Niall.

“Hi, I’m Liam!” Karen and Geoff’s only son, Liam, smiled as he stood in front of the slightly smaller child who looked back at him with big blue eyes.

“N-Niall,” the child stuttered out as he stepped away from his father and offering the older boy a timid smile with rosy cheeks.

“Sweetie, come meet my friends,” Maura cooed at her son and picked up the small brunette who wiggled around, wanting to be on his own two little feet.

All the women fawned over the tiny person while the four boys huddled together and waited their turn to meet him, though Louis was still jealous from all the attention his mommy was giving to the Irish boy. The guys were in the living room watching a match on the telly as they let their wives talk about babies and what not.

“Alright Ni, you can play with these boys. Be good sweetie, I love you,” Maura cooed as she placed Niall with the other four boys who were playing in the designated playroom Maura and Bobby had made for Niall and Greg.

“Ma,” Niall pouted, making grabby hands at his mother’s retreating figure.

The room was filled toys made for Niall’s age, a bookshelf filled with different types of books, a few stuffed animals and a couch settled in front of a TV that had a video game system for Greg with the games inside the TV stand. The walls were painted a beige color and a large window faced the backyard, letting in a lot of natural light.

“Hi Niall!” Liam greeted, always the friendlier one of the four.

“H-Hi,” Niall stuttered and Louis snickered, earning a glare from Harry and Zayn as he stepped forward.

“I’m Harry,” the curly haired boy spoke softly with a large grin on his face, showing off his cute dimples and Niall giggled as he reached a tiny finger over to poke at one which caused Harry to laugh as well.

In a matter of minutes all of the boys were playing happily, except for Louis who was glaring at Niall and pushing him away from his friends. Liam tried telling Louis off and to be nice, but the boy was stubborn and Niall’s eyes were starting to tear up. Louis gave Niall one final push and the brunette lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud. All laughing had stopped and Niall gave out a small whimper before bursting into tears. His cries were loud and within seconds Maura ran into the room with a frown.

“M-Mommy!” Niall hiccuped as he made grabby hands at his mother again, but this time she did pick him up and held him close.

“What happened here?” Maura asked as she tried shushing her child and the other moms walked in.

“Uh h-he tripped,” Louis spoke in a small voice with his hands behind his back, looking at the ground and biting his bottom lip nervously.

“Louis William Tomlinson, what did you do?” Jay asked her son who hid behind his friends, but they moved and left him out in the open as if saying you’re on your own.

“I push him. It was an ac- acdent though!” Louis exclaimed, stumbling over accident as he looked at his mother with pleading blue eyes.

“Louis, you know you’re not supposed to do that, honey. I want you to apologize to Niall for being mean.”

Niall wasn’t crying anymore, he had his head resting on Maura’s shoulder with his arms around her neck and looking down at a guilty Louis. Big fat tears were still rolling down Niall’s chubby cheeks, feeling hurt that his possibly new friend didn’t like him.

“Can I talk to Neil?” Louis asked quietly as he looked up at Maura who chuckled.

“You can talk to Niall. Alright baby, Louis wants to talk to you.”

Maura placed her son who was still hiccuping on the floor and the moms left the room to give the kids some space. Niall was looking down when he felt tiny arms wrap around him and he stiffened at the sudden contact before slowly returning the hug.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you,” Louis finally choked out, his own eyes tearing up at the amount of guilt he was feeling.

“I-It’s okay,” Niall stuttered out as they pulled away and he wiped away his tears and offered the other lads a small smile.

The five of them played for about an hour until Anne called them over for dinner and they all ran towards the door, pushing each other playfully and laughing as they stumbled into the dining room. Niall ended up sharing a seat with Louis, both boys snuggling into each other as they ate and sometimes fed each other, causing the moms to coo.

“Mommy, can we go to my room?” Niall asked once they’d finished eating.

“Sure sweetie,” Maura smiled and the kids ran upstairs while Greg disappeared into the playroom with Gemma and Liam’s sisters.

“You likes green?” Zayn asked as they stepped inside and saw Niall’s room decorated in shades of green and blue.

“Mhm! Is my favorite color,” Niall giggled as he crawled on his bed with the other boys.

“My mommy and the other mommies are bestest friends. Can we be bestest friends?” Liam asked curiously as he looked at Niall with warm honey eyes.

“Bestest friends!” Niall cheered and the five of them hugged each other tightly, falling on the bed in a pile of messy limbs and loud giggles as they struggled to break free.

“We’re bestest friends,” Zayn sighed happily, staring at the ceiling as he laid in the small bed with the others.

“Bestest friends til the very end,” Harry added with a smile, lying in between Niall and Louis.

_"Wherever you go, just always remember_  
_That you got a home for now and forever_  
_And if you get low, just call me whenever_  
_This is my oath to you_ " 


	2. This Is Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall stood up on his tip toes and grabbed a silver tiara with pink feathers on the bottom and pink rhinestones. Louis helped him place the tiara correctly on his head and Niall giggled as he twirled around before going off to show his mom.

_This is real, this is me ~ Demi Lovato feat. Joe Jonas_

* * * * *

From that day on the group of five became inseparable. They were constantly hanging out and sleeping over at each other’s houses, but Niall and Louis had a stronger bond though the others didn’t mind. They knew the two were the youngest so they bonded, but for some reason, they bonded over something else the others couldn’t really pin point. Sometimes though, they would catch Niall staring at girl things a bit longer than necessary, but they never said anything.

It wasn’t until one Friday evening when the moms decided to head to the mall with their boys that they realized that maybe Niall liked girl things a little more than he was letting on. Of course being three and adorable meant you could get away with anything. Well, almost anything.

“Mommy, look!” Niall cried out happily as he walked up to his mom with a sparkly toy tiara placed on his head.

“It looks lovely on you, Niall,” Maura smiled, causing her son to giggle and face his friends who all had large grins on their faces as they praised their friend with kind words.

“I want it, please mommy?” Niall begged, giving her that irresistible pout that always made people cave in when he wanted something.

“Aww, Maura, he looks so cute. Besides, I find it adorable how he doesn’t care that it’s technically for girls,” Karen smiled, looking down at Niall while holding Liam’s hand.

“I don’t know what Bobby’s going to say about this. He’s going to faint when he realizes that his youngest likes girl things more than boy things,” Maura sighed thoughtfully.

“Maura, don’t let Bobby control the kids. If Niall likes these things, than let him be. Maybe right now it’s just a phase, maybe not, but don’t neglect the poor kid like that,” Anne said as she picked out another tiara for Niall who giggled and thanked her.

Maura couldn’t help but smile. She always said she’d be supportive of her kids no matter what and this shouldn’t be an obstacle. Maybe it was a phase, but she couldn’t deny the happiness that it brought her son at the simple toy.

She bought it and Niall wore it for the rest of their trip, earning compliments from some people and weird stares from others. Niall doesn’t care though, he’s happy feeling pretty and skipping beside his best friends. When Maura gets home with Niall and Louis, who’s the only one who can sleepover that night, Bobby stops in his tracks and stares at the tiara on his son’s head.

“Why the bloody hell is he wearing that?!” Bobby yells angrily, making the two boys jump and hide behind Maura who’s glaring at her husband.

“Boys, go upstairs,” Maura sighed as she looked down at the two who quickly nodded and went to go up to Niall’s room, but Bobby grabbed the tiara from Niall’s head and threw it on the ground.

“N-No! Da, stop!” Niall cried as he watched in horror Bobby step on his pretty sparkly tiara.

Louis gasped and grabbed Niall’s hand as Maura started yelling at her husband and he tugged Niall until the brunette ran up the stairs with Louis, crying as he went. They walked past Greg who was peeking out of his room, curious about what was going on.

“Why are you crying, you baby?” Greg asked as he stared at his younger sibling.

“Shut up!” Niall screamed and ran into his room followed by Louis, the door slamming shut.

“Ni,” was all Louis said before hugging his best friend and leading him towards the bed.

“W-Why didn’t he like it, Lou?” Niall hiccuped, cuddling with Louis. “Da never loves Ni, he yells at Ni too much.”

Louis pouted as he hugged Niall tighter. Maura walked in eventually and smiled sadly at the two boys who were sitting on the bed and pretending to read a book together, making up the words they didn’t know and giggling at the funny pictures in the book.

“Hi mommy!” Niall waved at her, his eyes still a bit red and puffy from crying.

“Hi boys, how would you like to go out and get some ice cream?”

“Mommy, Bobby broke Niall’s pretty princess crown!” Niall cried as he looked up at her with large blue eyes and Maura laughed quietly.

“I know baby, but how about we go buy you a new one? Meanwhile you can wear the one Anne bought you.”

“Okay!”

Maura held the two boy’s hands before calling Greg and taking the three out for ice cream. Niall and Louis were babbling about random things while Greg talked to his mom about letting him join the football team at school.

“Alright boys, what flavors do you want?” Maura asked as she led them to the front, helping the two smaller ones peek in to look at the ice cream flavors.

“I wants cookie dough, please!” Louis cheered with a small giggle at the end.

“And I wants choc’late,” Niall announced while Greg decided he wanted vanilla and strawberry with sprinkles on top which then caused the other two to want sprinkles as well.

Louis and Niall made a mess of their ice creams, getting it on their shirts, faces, hands and even the table. Greg sat there laughing at his baby brother and Louis while Maura sighed in irritation and tried cleaning them as best she could. At the store, Niall and Louis skipped off to the girl section happily and eyes sparkling as their eyes roamed through the dolls, pink toys and fake makeup kits.

“This pretty,” Niall whispered in awe as he stroked a princess dress.

“Ni, more pretty crowns!” Louis called from down the aisle and the Irish boy giggled before running towards his best friend.

“Very pretty! This one!”

Niall stood up on his tip toes and grabbed a silver tiara with pink feathers on the bottom and pink rhinestones. Louis helped him place the tiara correctly on his head and Niall giggled as he twirled around before going off to show his mom.

“Mommy, look! Louis picked this one!” Niall exclaimed happily as he jumped up and down.

“That’s very pretty, sweetie,” Maura smiled and stroked her son’s chubby cheek and the tiny brunette blushed before running off to find Louis.

“Are you really letting him wear that?” Greg asked with a chuckle.

“Of course I am. And I don’t want you to make fun of him for it, alright?” Maura scolded her oldest son who was still laughing in amusement at the thought of his little brother being a princess.

“I’ll try to not do it to his face, but I can’t guarantee I won’t laugh when he’s not around,” Greg replied.

Niall and Louis giggled at a cute little Hello Kitty plush toy. She had on a pink dress and a flower crown on her head. Blue eyes were wide as they stared at the different amount of Hello Kitty dolls, accessories and other things. Little fingers roamed around curiously as they looked at the endless rows of pinks, purples, dolls, and other things that sparkled and caught their eyes.

“Boys, are you ready to go?” Maura asked after a few minutes.

“Yep!” Niall giggled, grabbing Louis’ hand and dragging him up to Maura who smiled down at the two.

“Is this all you want, love?” Maura questioned, referring to the tiara and plush toy.

Niall nodded happily, continuing to hold Louis’ hand. The slightly older boy had a soft blush on his cheeks as he held hands with his best friend. Greg bit his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing at the two boys.

“Do you not want anything, Lou?”

“No t’ank you,” Louis smiled politely.

“You’re such a nice boy, Louis. At least you have manners unlike someone,” Maura said as she glared at Greg who scoffed.

“I do too have manners. I will not let a three year old be more well mannered than me,” Greg stated, glaring at Louis and Niall who were still giggling and holding hands.

“Maybe you should take some lessons from them.”

“Mom!”

“Just stating the truth, honey,” Maura smiled and they began to walk to the checkout lanes to pay for the toys.

At home Bobby was sitting in the living room watching some sports channel and Greg joined his father while Niall and Louis headed towards the play room. Bobby didn’t even acknowledge his son and Maura merely rolled her eyes at her husband.

“Does Ni look pretty?” Niall asked his best friend as they sat down on the ground with some toys in front of them, the boy already wearing his new tiara.

“Ni looks very pretty,” Louis smiled, leaning over and pressing a soft kiss to Niall’s left cheek.

Both boys blushed and went back to playing as if nothing had happened. Later when Maura walked in to check on them, she found the two curled up together and fast asleep on the couch. Draping a blanket over the two tiny bodies, Maura leaned down and pressed a kiss to their cheeks before leaving the room quietly. She was still getting Bobby to understand this new situation, but she knew her husband was stubborn and it would take time.

* * * * *

_Now I’ve found who I am._ _There’s no way to hold it in._ _No more hiding who I wanna be._ _This is me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So songs are a little cheesy (more like a lot) but they're children and I'm just very happy you guys are liking this so far and I'm ahead on quite a few chapters but if you'd like to request an idea or something, you can :)
> 
> But anyways, I'm in a good mood so maybe you'll get another update tomorrow *hint hint* *wink wink*
> 
> Happy Friday everyone!! We're one week away from MITAM!!!


	3. One And The Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn’t much of a shock when Louis decided he wanted to be just like his best friend Niall. Niall had squealed in delight and got to work on finding his best friend the prettiest tiara.

_Cause we’re one and the same ~ Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez_

* * * * *

It wasn’t much of a shock when Louis decided he wanted to be just like his best friend Niall. Niall had squealed in delight and got to work on finding his best friend the prettiest tiara, but when Niall didn’t find one, he begged his mom to take them to the store and Maura simply chuckled before driving the two to the toy store.

“Louis wants to be pretty like Ni,” Niall giggled as he skipped straight towards the princess section.

Louis held Niall’s hand as they went and let his best friend pick out a tiara for him. Niall ended up picking out a sky blue tiara with purple jewels on it. Louis was smiling from ear to ear as he let his friend place the tiara on his head gently.

“There, now you’re pretty too,” the now four year old giggled as he stood back to admire his friend with the pretty hair and pretty blue eyes.

“Are you boys ready to go?” Maura asked as she walked up to them, holding two Hello Kitty dolls in her arms.

“Mhm? What those mommy?” Niall asked curiously as he tilted his head up to better look at his mommy.

“These are for you boys for being so good today,” Maura praised as she handed them each a doll.

The two boys squealed in excitement and thanked Maura as they held their new stuffed Hello Kitty tight. Niall’s Hello Kitty was dressed in a princess costume with a pretty pink dress and silver crown and a pink bow. Louis’ Hello Kitty was the same, except she had a purple dress and a purple bow, but the tiara was still the same.

At home, Bobby rolled his eyes when he saw his son with a new crown and toy but his eyes widened when he also saw Louis and how the two boys were holding hands. The man glared at his wife who glared at him before she ushered the two boys up the stairs.

“This has gone on too long, Maura. It needs to fucking stop,” Bobby hissed, trying to keep his voice down so he wouldn’t scare the kids.

“I don’t care if you don’t fucking like it, Bobby, but the kids have their rights to be who they want to be. I don’t care if in the future Niall prefers wearing skirts over jeans or if he wants to wear make up. As his mother, I want to support any choice he makes and who he wants to grow up to be. Either way, I’m sure he’ll grow up to be beautiful.”

Bobby sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, millions of thoughts racing through his head. Did he really want his son to grow up the way he is? Sure he had plans for Niall, Greg and him to spend those long summer days playing in the backyard kicking a football around, but also the idea of being able to buy girl things seemed exciting almost. Sure he’s wished for a daughter and knows he won’t be able to have one since both of Maura’s pregnancies were high risk and they both agreed to not risk anything with having another kid.

“Just give me sometime. It’s weird raising a son for three years and now suddenly we’re raising a daughter?”

“We’re not really sure if he even wants to be like a girl or if it’s just a phase or what, but he’s our son and we need to support him,” Maura concluded before walking away and leaving her husband behind to think about everything.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Hi!” Came Harry’s cheerful voice from the doorway of Niall’s bedroom and Louis and Niall’s heads turned around to look at the other three boys walking in.

“Hi guys!” the younger two of the group greeted in excitement, jumping slightly in their seats on Niall’s bed which was pressed up against a wall due to the many times Niall fell off the bed.

“Look, I’m pretty just like Ni!” Louis exclaimed as he showed off his new tiara.

“So are you two now our princesses?” Zayn questioned with a fond smile while the two nodded.

“The prettiest princesses!” Niall smiled, rushing over to hug Liam tightly. “Bobby still doesn’t like Ni. He doesn’t even notice Ni anymore.”

“Your dad likes you Niall,” Harry assured his best friend who shook his head sadly as he cuddled into Liam who kept holding him tightly.

“He only takes Greg out and never asks Ni. They play outside lots but they never let me join.”

The boys looked at each other before deciding they needed to cheer up their tiny friend. Louis moved forward first, fingers digging into Niall’s sides causing the latter to burst out into loud carefree laughter as the others joined in on the tickle fight. Niall was now on the floor with four sets of hands tickling him all over, tiaras lay forgotten on the ground.

Bobby, who was walking down the hall, heard the shrieks of laughter and peeked his head into his youngest son’s room. He let a smile draw up on his lips as he took in the scene in front of him. Maybe he has been too harsh on his son these past few months.

“Just talk to him, dad, he won’t hate you forever,” was all Greg said as he walked past his father with a roll of his eyes.

“Gregory,” Bobby warned as he walked after his oldest son.

“I wanna be a princess forever,” Niall giggled as they all lay on the floor after their tickle wars, talking about random things.

“Me too!” Louis exclaims with a large smile.

All the boys sleepover that night, Maura having made them a makeshift bed on the floor so they could all fit together on piles of blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. Niall wandered out of the room shortly before they went to bed and went downstairs to say goodnight to his mom.

“Night mommy,” Niall smiled and Maura smiled, leaning down to kiss her son’s cheek and hug him tightly.

“Night munchkin, sleep tight and I’ll see you lot in the morning,” Maura spoke, rubbing his small back.

Niall wandered up the stairs happily and stuck his tongue out at Greg who was walking out of the bathroom the two boys shared. Greg ruffled his little brother’s brown hair, his way of saying goodnight without being too sappy, before heading into his room which had a ‘Keep Out’ sign on it though it did little to actually keep the curious four year old out.

“Ni, are you going to bed buddy?” Bobby asked as he exited his room.

“Um yeah,” Niall spoke quietly, looking down at his feet which were covered in Batman socks.

“Come here kiddo,” Bobby sighed and knelt down on one knee, opening his arms and Niall ran into them, crashing into his father’s chest. “I’m sorry kid.”

“It okay, daddy, Ni not mad. Just misses you lots, da,” Niall sniffled, closing his eyes tightly to keep his tears in and biting his bottom lip

“I missed you too kid and I’m sorry,” Bobby whispered as he held onto his son tighter, placing a kiss to his soft hair. “How about we go out tomorrow when the boys leave and I buy you whatever you want, sound good? We can even take mommy and Greg if they want to tag along.”

“Okay!” Niall giggled, pulling away from his father and offering him a large grin.

Bobby chuckled and ruffled his son’s hair before standing up. Niall wished his father a good night before heading back into his bedroom where Louis had tackled Zayn and shouting something at the raven haired boy who struggled under the small boy. Niall looked at his other friends who shrugged and went back to playing with the legos in the corner of Niall’s room. Niall decided to ignore the other two wrestling around and he yawned, rubbing at his eyes tiredly before settling under the covers.

“Ni go night night?” Louis asked as he crawled over to his friend and cuddled into his side.

“Ni go night night,” Niall repeated, eyes half closed as another yawn leaves his tiny mouth.

* * * * *

_You and me the perfect team_  
_Chasing down the dream_  
_We're one and the same!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised here you go!! Another update!!
> 
> Okay so like my birthday is tomorrow and I keep singing Pity Party by Melanie Martinez and it's like making me sad but oh well. Also, Walmart and Target need to get their shit together since they released Made In The A.M. and Purpose a week early like wyd??


	4. Count On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall and Louis both shrunk back behind Liam who was watching the fight with wide eyes while Zayn also took a protective stance next to Harry.

_Find out what we're made of_  
_When we are called to help our friends in need ~ Bruno Mars_

* * * * *

Niall was nervous and scared. Mostly scared though. He was finally going off to school with his four best friends, but he’s never been away from his mommy before so he’s scared about it. He’s also scared about how the other kids will be. Will they be nice or mean? Will it be fun?

“Ni, we need to go sweetheart,” Maura called from the front door as Greg walked past her to get in the car.

Niall walked down the hall towards his mother looking nervous while gripping his lunch box tightly in his tiny hands. Looking up at her with wide blue eyes, Maura cooed at her child before leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek.

“You’ll be fine sweetie, besides, the other boys will be with you since you lot have the same teacher,” Maura explained as she ushered her child out of the house and locked it.

“But mommy,” Niall whined as he got in the backseat with a pout.

“What, no crown today?” Greg asked his little brother with a smirk.

“Meanie,” Niall pouted and Maura sighed as she began the drive to the school as her two kids began to fight.

~

Greg ran off with his friends after saying goodbye to his mother and teasing Niall a bit more. Maura grabbed her younger son’s hand and lead him towards the pre-k area where the other parents and children already were. Maura was quick to spot Anne, Karen, Jay and Trisha. Niall smiled at his friends and joined them happily, the moms standing back and watching the small group happily.

“Are you excited?” Liam asked them all, playing with the hem of his shirt nervously.

“I’m nervous,” Niall mumbled and Louis agreed, standing close to the boy.

“No worries, my sisters said school is fun and that we’ll have lots of fun here and make new friends.”

“But, I don’t wants new friends. I only wants you guys,” Louis pouted as he grabbed Niall’s hand and looked at the others with teary eyes.

“Aww, Lou!” Harry giggled before pulling the shorter boy into a hug and holding him tightly.

“And we only wants you too,” Zayn responded before starting a group hug, earning weird looks from the other kids and a few snickers that didn’t go unnoticed by Niall who buried himself further into Zayn’s arms.

The annoying sound of the bell startled the five out of their hug and they giggled as the other kids started to gather out in the patio in front of the doors where the teacher was stepping out. She was a pretty blonde lady with bright hazel eyes and a blue apron over her white t-shirt and dark jeans. She had a kind smile on as she greeted the kids who walked past her to get inside.

“Bye kids!” The moms shouted and waved at their tiny tots.

“Bye mommy!” They yelled back before following the others inside, greeting their teacher, Miss Evans.

Inside, the classroom had numbers, letters and other colorful pictures on the walls. Toys were scattered around, a small library filled with books and chairs sat in a corner and there were a few tables with six chairs each in the center. A long whiteboard filled up a whole wall with magnets placed on it. The teacher’s desk was placed next to it in the corner stacked with papers, a computer and small figures.

“Alright kids, pick your own seats and we’ll get started,” Miss Evans told them as she clapped her hands excitedly and all the kids scrambled to find a table.

Louis, always the leader of the group, lead them to a table behind all the other ones and they sat together happily. Niall and Louis sat together, Liam at one end of the table and Zayn and Harry across from Niall and Louis, leaving the other end open in case someone else wanted to sit next to them.

The tables filled up quickly considering the fact there were only fifteen kids so a few seats were left open. Small excited chatter filled up the room as they looked around. The teacher walked over to stand in front of the whiteboard before clearing her throat to catch their attention.

“Alright kids, first day of school and well, we don’t all know each other so let’s introduce ourselves by drawing a picture of yourselves with something you like. After we’re done, we’ll introduce ourselves to the rest of the class. So grab a piece of paper and some colors and get to work!” Miss Evans told them and the room was suddenly filled with markers hitting the tables, paper crumpling everywhere and high pitched voices throwing ideas here and there.

Niall was concentrating on his drawing so hard he had managed to block out the noises around him, ignore his friends and his little tongue poked out between his lips as he scribbled on the paper, a marker clutched tightly in his left hand.

“Niall!” Zayn called, tapping the child’s arm to get his attention.

Niall jumped in fright and looked up to find his friends all looking at him, Louis giggling behind his little hands. Zayn apologized a few times to his friend for scaring him and Niall shrugged with a smile, saying it was okay.

“What are you drawing, Ni?” Liam asked curiously as he reached for a brown crayon that was placed in the middle with the other colors they were all sharing because sharing is caring.

“A princess,” Niall grinned, switching his purple marker for a pink one.

“I wanna draw Batman,” Zayn hummed as he grabbed a black color pencil.

Eventually it was time for introductions and by the time they reached the boys’ table, Niall was looking at everyone else nervously and his cheeks were tinted pink and he grabbed Louis’ hand under the table. Louis turned around to look at his friend and grinned at him, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I’m Niall and this what I like,” the Irish lad mumbled, showing up his picture and looking down at the ground when he heard a few kids snicker and a few girls coo.

“Thank you Niall and that’s a very pretty picture,” Miss Evans smiled at the boy who quickly nodded and sat down.

Recess came and the boys were off sitting under a tree eating their lunch happily when a few boys walked up to them, one holding a football.

“You wanna play?” Jake, if Niall remembered correctly, asked the group.

“Not you two, this game not for girls,” another one said and laughed at the end.

“They not girls!” Harry yelled angrily and stood up.

Niall and Louis both shrunk back behind Liam who was watching the fight with wide eyes while Zayn also took a protective stance next to Harry. Eventually the yelling turned into pushing and the commotion caught the teacher’s attention and she ran over to the group, standing in between Harry, Zayn and the other boys.

“What is going on here, boys?” Miss Evans asked as she looked around the group, taking in Niall and Louis’ upset expressions and Liam’s frightened one.

“They bother Ni and Lou!” Harry exclaimed in frustration, stomping his left foot for a dramatic purpose.

“Alright, but if they were bothering them then you come to me, you don’t start fighting. Understood boys?” Miss Evans asked Harry and Zayn who pouted but nodded nonetheless. “And you, I don’t want to find out you’re bothering them again, am I clear?”

“Yes, miss,” Jake and his friends mumbled.

“Okay, now since this is only your first day, I’ll let you off the hook. Play nice.”

Miss Evans and the other kids walked off, leaving the group of five alone once more. Liam was sitting in between Niall and Louis, the younger two cuddled into his sides. Zayn took a seat in front of them and Harry followed shortly after, once he was sure the other boys wouldn’t come back to be mean to his princesses.

Later when the moms picked up the kids, Niall and Louis were more than ready to go home after a long (really it was only like four hours) torturous day at school.

“How was your first day boys? Did you like it?” Trisha asked with a smile as she ran her hand through Zayn’s hair.

“Not like it. Some boys be mean to Ni and Lou,” Niall pouted as he looked up at his mommy with wide blue eyes.

“Did you tell the teacher?” Jay asked worriedly.

“Harry and Zee save us and then the Miss shoo them away,” Louis grinned.

“That’s my cupcake,” Anne smiled as she picked up Harry and kissed his cheek, making the curly haired boy blush.

Liam giggled as he hugged his mommy and the families retreated to the parking lot. The five boys said their goodbyes before they parted ways with the promise to see each other again the next day.

“So did you like school, love?” Maura asked as she drove back home, Greg still having to finish his day at school.

“No. Ni no wants to go back. School is mean,” Niall sighed as he played with his backpack.

“Well, I’m sorry sweetie, but you’ll be going to school for a long time,” Maura chuckled as Niall let out a long whine from the backseat.

* * * * *

_You can count on me like one two three_  
_I'll be there_  
_And I know when I need it I can count on you like four three two_  
_You'll be there_  
_'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've all survived Made In The A.M. and are okay and if you also bought Purpose than I hope you're okay after listening to it as well. I'm not a Bieber fan but his song Sorry gives me life.
> 
> Anyways, happy MITAM day and hope you liked this chapter!!
> 
> On a serious note, everything that went on today with the attacks and the Japan earthquake makes my heart break.


	5. Gift Of A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was still a small glimmer of hope in each of the boys that their Irish friend would come in late, but as the minutes passed and Miss Evans marked Niall absent, all hope was lost.

_There through the highs and the lows ~ Demi Lovato_

* * * * *

It was the second week into fall and the temperatures were dropping like crazy. One week it had been sunny and warm, but now it’s been cloudy, sometimes rainy, and the wind blew every day. Recess had been cut short most days, Miss Evans fearing the kids would fall ill because of the cold as they ran around and instead opted for staying indoors and letting them play board games and color. Today’s Friday, meaning the end of the week is finally near and the kids are giddy with excitement to end another long week of school, hoping to have a nice weekend. They were dressed warmly for yet another cold day as they walked towards the classroom minutes before the final bell rang.

Harry, Louis, Zayn and Liam were already seated at their table. Their jackets hanging in their cubbies along with their backpacks. Two seats were still left open, but only one actually had an owner who was nowhere to be seen.

“Where Ni?” Louis asked sadly as the bell rang and Miss Evans closed the door, telling the kids to settle down.

Zayn shrugged as he chewed on his bottom lip, looking over at Harry and Liam who too looked sad. There was still a small glimmer of hope in each of the boys that their Irish friend would come in late, but as the minutes passed and Miss Evans marked Niall absent, all hope was lost.

Their short day at school turned into the longest four and a half hours of their lives without their fifth partner in crime and they sat back quietly. The end of the day bell rang at exactly 12:30 and left the room bundled in their jackets and backpacks hung on their shoulders. They spotted Anne and Trisha, who were in charge this week of picking up the kids, and quickly ran up to her.

“Mommy, Ni not here!” Harry cried sadly, gripping the front of his mother’s jacket as he clung to her.

“I know sweetie, Ni is sick today that’s why he didn’t come to school,” Anne replied, running her hand through Harry’s curls.

“He sick?! Is he okay?!” Louis asked worriedly as he too clung to Anne’s jacket, his blue eyes wide with tears and bottom lip trembling.

Trisha and Anne couldn’t help but coo at the small boy, Liam and Zayn gathering around to hear news of their princess.

“He’s going to be fine, kids, it’s just a cold,” Trisha assured the bunch who sighed in relief.

“Can we go see Niall? Pretty please?” Zayn begged his mother who laughed but nodded.

“Sure, I just need to call Maura first and make sure it’s okay for us to go. Though I’m sure Niall misses you boys,” Anne smiled, leading them all to her car.

Maura agrees to let the boys visit Niall who’s been whining about everything all day. He whines about being too cold or too hot, whines about the ache in his bones or the pain in his head.

Anne and Trisha arrived with lunch and the kids immediately ran over to Niall who was curled up on the couch watching cartoons with a big blanket wrapped around his small body. Niall sat up on the couch and smiled wide, letting the boys pull him into a tight hug. The sick boy giggled quietly, wincing at the pain in his throat as he soaked up all the love his boys were giving him.

“We miss you Ni,” Louis pouted as he sat next to his best friend, cuddling with him under the blankets.

“Ni missed you too,” Niall smiled, coughing into his arm.

“You feel okay?” Harry asked worriedly, placing his tiny hand on Niall’s forehead and checking for any other signs of his sickness.

“Ni better now that you’re here,” Niall replied hoarsely, getting awws from the group as they cuddled around him, turning their attention to the TV playing some random kid show.

“Boys, lunch is ready,” Maura told them as she walked into the room, smiling at the group.

They all nodded and followed Maura into the kitchen, taking a seat around the table. A bowl of chicken noodle soup was placed in front of the sick boy whose tiny nose was bright red and eyes teary as he sniffled and looked down at the hot soup. He pouted and looked up at his mother who was sitting across from him with Trisha next to her.

“Mommy, it hot,” he whined in a croaky voice.

“I make it cold for Ni,” Louis declared as he moved closer to the blonde and blew gently at the soup he picked up with the spoon before feeding it to Niall who smiled.

“Thank you, Louis.”

After lunch, Maura gave Niall more medicine and ushered him up the stairs along with the others while the moms talked. Niall climbed under the covers of his bed and the other boys crowded around him.

“I’m cold,” Niall shivered, the ache in his bones still present and reminding him of his current misery.

Louis pouted and wrapped his body around his best friend’s while Liam made sure to tuck the blankets more into Niall. Said boy sneezed cutely a few times into the crook of his elbow which caused the other boys to giggle at the sound.

“Bless you, Ni!” They all chorused.

“T’ank you,” Niall mumbled, breathing through his mouth as his nose was stuffed. “Stupid Greg made me sick.”

By the time Anne and Trisha wanted to take the boys home, they went upstairs to check on them and found them all sleeping around the ill little boy who even in his sleep looked rather uncomfortable.

By Saturday, it doesn’t come as a shock when all four boys end up sick as well. The moms decide to keep them all apart that weekend as both Harry and Louis are dealing with high fevers, Liam with the stomach flu and Zayn with an ear infection.

By Monday all five boys were back in school, though they still sneezed and coughed, they definitely felt a lot better than they had over the weekend. And they were happy to finally be with each other for the first time in two days.

* * * * *

_From beginning to end_  
_When you have a friend_  
_By your side_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one's a bit short, but I tried making it cute and fluffy because the next one broke my heart writing it :(  
> also I'm running out of songs to use so some might be cheesy or not make much sense


	6. Broken Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At four, almost five years old, Niall was watching his family fall apart and he didn't really understand what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter broke my heart a bit while writing it ;-;  
> Sorry

_Hey mum, hey dad_  
_When did this end? ~ 5 Seconds of Summer_

* * * * *

Things had gone from great to bad in a matter of weeks in the Horan household. As October grew to an end and the leaves began to fall, it seemed like Bobby and Maura’s marriage was starting to dry up and fall as well. Greg stayed away from home most days, either busy with football or staying at a friend’s while poor Niall sat alone in his room listening to his parents argue more and more each day. The other boys hadn’t stepped foot inside the Horan’s house since Niall had gotten sick and Niall didn't have anyone to take him to his friends houses because Maura always picked him up from school now and ignored any question her son made.

He'd never felt so alone at home and scared. He knew home was meant to be safe and warm, because Miss Evans had explained one day, but he felt scared and cold all the time. At four, almost five years old, Niall was watching his family fall apart and he didn't really understand what was going on.

“Mommy-” Niall had barely finished the word when Maura waved her hand to send him away.

“Not now Niall,” she’d said angrily not even looking up from the stack of papers in front of her, not noticing the way Niall’s bottom lip trembled as he hugged his stuffed bear, Peter, tightly.

The small boy walked away as his tummy grumbled in hunger. All he'd eaten was a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and that had been a little over six hours ago. His mom never made dinner these days since Bobby always came home late, but she always had time to feed her kids. Today though, it seemed like she’d forgotten and little Niall was too afraid to remind her.

“Hey kid,” Greg greeted as he walked in the house after being dropped off from practice.

“Hi,” Niall squeaked out as he walked up the stairs carefully.

Greg followed his little brother and sighed when Niall’s stomach decided to growl. The little boy’s cheeks turned pink in embarrassment and he tried going up the stairs quicker but only ended up tripping and bursting into tears as he landed on his knees and face planted on the other step because he was too busy making sure Peter didn't fall.

“Oh Ni, it's okay,” Greg cooed as he helped the small boy up and hugged him tight, letting him cry his little heart out.

“I-I want me f-friends!” Niall cried brokenly into Peter’s soft brown fur, the teddy squished in between the two boys. “T-They love Ni m-more t-than mommy and Bobby!”

Greg bit his bottom lip as he rubbed Niall’s back softly. He looked away from his little brother and saw his mother standing at the bottom of the stairs with a sad expression on her face. Greg shook his head at her and helped Niall stand up, taking him to his room.

“How about I take you to Harry’s house since he’s the closest one?” Greg offered, inspecting Niall’s face for damage from the fall. It was just a little red around his forehead area, but otherwise he seemed good.

“Take Ni, please!” Niall begged, tears still streaming down his chubby cheeks.

“Of course, but let me put my football bag away before we go.”

Greg tossed his bag in the closet before grabbing Niall’s hand and taking him down the stairs carefully. Niall put on his too big jumper a bit excitedly and tugged Greg out the door without a word to Maura who’d gone back to her paperwork.

The wind slapped at their faces, making the tears dry up against Niall’s cheeks. They held hands as they walked down the street, Greg careful to keep Niall out of the road. They reached Harry’s house three minutes later and Greg rang the doorbell as Niall rubbed his itchy eyes with his right fist. The door opened thirty seconds later and Anne smiled down at the two boys.

“Hi boys, what brings you here? Oh Ni, what's wrong honey?” Anne cooed as she picked up the child.

“I just brought Niall over since- yeah. Um I don't think mom’s fed him though and I'll pick him up later,” Greg told Anne who looked at the two sadly.

“Don't worry Greg, I'll just bring him over myself or something.”

Greg nodded and watched Niall cuddle into Anne before he walked away. Niall craved someone’s touch and was more than happy when Anne had picked him up.

“Alright kiddo, let’s get something into your tummy alright? Once you're done you can go play with Harry and the boys upstairs,” Anne spoke softly as she kept rubbing Niall’s back.

Niall simply nodded and was placed on a chair as Anne reheated him some Mac and cheese from that night’s dinner. Niall sat quietly in the chair, fingers playing with Peter’s fur as he hiccuped every few seconds. He didn't know Anne was looking at him sadly as she grabbed a juice box from the fridge and placed it in front of him. A minute later Niall was finally eating as Anne kept him company at the table, a soft smile on her face as she made small talk with Niall who was too quiet.

“Hey Ni, does mommy feed you everyday?” Anne asked curiously, running her hand through the child’s hair.

“Sometimes. ‘Times Greg feeds me,” Niall mumbled. “I never see Bobby no more. Mommy say he work.”

“Oh. Than what do you do when you’re at home? I haven’t seen you hanging out with the boys anymore.”

“Ni play by himself ‘cos mommy mean to Ni,” he whimpered and a few more tears ran down his cheeks and Anne felt her heart break. She knew Maura and Bobby were having problems with their marriage, but she would have never guessed they would forget about their own children.

“Oh baby,” Anne cooed before pulling the boy onto her lap and holding him close.

“Do mommy and daddy still love Ni?”

“Of course they do, bug, they always will love you and Greg. Right now they’re just having a few problems and are probably too stressed, but they love you.”

~

Anne headed up the stairs with Niall resting on her hip as she carried him towards Harry’s room where she could hear laughter and Niall simply sighed as he kept playing with Peter. Opening the door, the boys turned around and smiled when they saw Niall.

“Ni!” Harry was the first one to run up to his mom and smile up at the child.

“Hi,” Niall waved shyly as Anne placed him down on the ground.

“Alright boys, be good to Ni and give him lots of cuddles because he’s a bit sad,” Anne told them and immediately Harry’s eyes widened in sadness as he pulled the slightly shorter boy into a hug. “If you need anything I’ll be downstairs.”

Anne left the room and Harry pulled Niall over to where the others were sitting and sat him down. Louis whimpered a bit as he noticed the tear stains on Niall’s rosy colored cheeks so he moved closer and hugged him tightly.

“Why is Ni sad?” Louis asked, resting his head on Niall’s shoulder with his arms wrapped around the boy’s stomach.

“Mommy and daddy fight a lot and they forget about Ni and Greg,” the sad child spoke up, grabbing Harry’s hand and the curly haired boy simply smiled at him.

“Well you have us now so no more crying!” Louis exclaimed, placing a kiss to Niall’s cheek.

The boy blushed and looked down at his lap, still clutching Peter tightly. Niall loved Peter more than anything and everyone knew that. Peter had been given to Niall when he was born and Niall considered his bear one of his very best friends since in moments like these, Niall at least had Peter to cry on.

They played happily, Niall still holding onto Peter, but he was smiling again and shrieking with laughter.

Night time arrived and Anne took Niall home, the lights in the living room still on so she knocked on the door. Niall was yawning into Peter’s fur as he stood impatiently on the front porch holding Anne’s hand. The door opened to reveal Greg already in his pajamas and he smiled.

“Greg!” Niall cheered and attached himself to the older boy.

“Hi kiddo. Thanks for bringing him,” Greg told Anne as he ran his fingers through Niall’s soft brown hair.

“It’s no problem, but if something happens don’t hesitate to call. I know things around here haven’t been the best, but you boys shouldn’t have to be around all of this. I mean it, Greg, at any time.”

“Will do, thank you.”

Anne smiled and said her goodbyes before leaving. Greg moved Niall inside and closed the door and locking it before taking Niall upstairs.

“Where’s mommy?” Niall asked as he followed after his big brother.

“She’s not home, kid, but she told me to get you in bed by your bedtime.”

Niall began to whine but obeyed his brother in anything he said until the clock read nine and he was tucked in his bed.

“Greg, light,” Niall said as he pointed over to his little nightlight that he couldn’t sleep without.

Greg simply smiled and turned on the light before leaving the room. A soft sigh escapes his lips as he stares down the hall at his parents empty bedroom wondering if either of them would actually come home during the night to sleep.

* * * * *

_Where did you lose your happiness?_  
_I'm here alone inside of this broken home_  
_Who's right, who's wrong_  
_Who really cares?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since yesterday was Thanksgiving I just want to say that I am so thankful of the things and people I have in life. I might not know you, but you really mean a lot to me because you gave my writing a chance and I can't thank you enough :)
> 
> I would have updated again this week, but I'm falling behind on writing because I'm procrastinating and I'm only ahead on one chapter, hopefully by the week of Christmas I can give you quite a few updates ;)


	7. 11 by Cassadee Pope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Days later and things at home were rough. Maura hadn’t heard from her husband since he left and he hasn’t even bothered to check on his boys who were obviously sad and hurt at Bobby’s departure.

_I was a little too young and a little too dumb to ever think the day would come ~ Cassadee Pope_

* * * * *

Everything just sort of happened really fast after that. One day both Niall and Greg came home from playing in the park with Niall’s friends and some of Greg’s when they saw Bobby’s car parked in the driveway early for the first time in a long time. Usually the kids only saw Bobby in the mornings before school and that was it. They were pretty excited because they thought that maybe their family would go back to normal.

They were wrong though.

Walking inside their house, Niall almost tripped on a few bags lined up against the wall and Greg frowned as he closed the door. They could hear their parents arguing upstairs and Niall looked down at the ground sadly as he shuffled into the living room to watch TV.

“I still don’t understand what the hell happened between us? Did you find someone better who doesn’t want kids?” Maura asked angrily as she walked down the stairs, following her husband who carried two more bags down and tossed them with the others.

They both came to a halt when they saw Greg and Niall staring at the two with wide eyes. Niall’s bottom lip was trembling as tears clouded his vision and Greg stood somewhat in front of his younger brother in a protective stance. Maybe the brothers didn’t always get along, but Greg had vowed to always protect his little brother.

“Kids,” was all Maura said as she looked at her two sons.

“You’re leaving?” Greg asked their father angrily as he narrowed his eyes at the man who looked down at his two sons guiltily.

“I’m sorry boys, but-”

“Where you going?” Niall asked as he looked up at his father with his head off to the side staring at him in a curious manner.

“Nialler, I’m going to my new house,” Bobby spoke gently as he crouched down in front of his son who frowned.

“We go too?”

“No buddy, I’m living alone. You and Greg will stay with mommy but you can come visit me whenever you want.”

“Why?”

“You don’t understand right now, but once you’re older you will. Just know that I love you boys,” Bobby kissed Niall’s forehead softly before standing up and heading towards the door, ruffling Greg’s hair affectionately as he walked past.

Niall frowned and tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. He was old enough to understand he wasn’t seeing his daddy like he used to anymore and he was old enough to understand that it hurt him a lot. Maura sighed in irritation and stormed upstairs leaving her two boys alone. Greg pulled Niall into a tight hug and scowled when his dad returned for the rest of his bags as Niall began to cry. Bobby didn’t even spare his two sons a second glance before closing the front door and leaving behind the family he had constructed over the years. Leaving behind two broken hearted boys and a confused Maura.

“Daddy don’t love us anymore,” Niall hiccuped into his older brother’s t-shirt.

“He does too Ni, but like he said, we’ll understand once we’re older.”

Days later and things at home were rough. Maura hadn’t heard from her husband since he left and he hasn’t even bothered to check on his boys who were obviously sad and hurt at Bobby’s departure. All she’d received were the divorce papers which caused millions of questions to come tumbling out of Niall’s mouth and had made Maura snap at her youngest son who ran off crying. Niall had been very sensitive since Bobby had left, crying over the smallest things. The first time he’d cried over nothing was when he’d dropped his spoon during dinner the night Bobby had left. Maura’s been brushing it off as Niall being emotional over the sudden change in their lives.

She was basically working double shifts at work and she barely saw her children. Even on the weekends she’d work half a shift while Greg was at his football games and Niall with his friends. She still didn’t understand how her marriage had fallen apart in a matter of months since they arrived in London. They’d been good, but up until then, things had changed drastically.

At school, things were different. Niall had been silent and usually only answered with one word when someone asked him a question and his friends tried making him laugh, but nothing worked. They didn’t even know about Bobby leaving his family. Miss Evans was keeping an extra eye out on Niall who spent recess alone and coloring in a notebook.

“Niall, how are you doing buddy?” Miss Evans asked as she took a seat next to Niall who was sitting on a bench with his notebook and box of markers.

Niall shrugged, focusing on the drawing of his now three piece family, all three stick figures with sad faces and blue dots on their cheeks to indicate tears. Miss Evans frowned at the picture and looked at the child whose hair was messy.

“Niall, where’s your daddy?” She asked softly, handing the child a marker.

“Left,” was Niall’s simple reply as he kept scribbling messily on the notebook.

“He left?”

“He not coming back ‘cos Bobby no love me, Greg or mommy.”

Miss Evans made an ‘o’ shape with her mouth as realization seemed to dawn on her. Instead of staying with the same subject, she decided to change it to not upset the small child further.

“Well why don’t you go play with your friends? I’m sure they miss playing with you, Ni.”

“Ni miss them too, but no thanks. Ni too sad to play,” came the child’s mumbled reply as he kept coloring and ignored his teacher for the rest of recess.

It was a few minutes before the bell rang when it all went down. Niall was packing up his things when Jake walked over and pushed him, causing Niall to fall of his seat and land on the ground. Niall’s table fell silent and Zayn was the first one up to push Jake away from the small child who burst into tears. Miss Evans was over in a flash asking the boys what had happened, but when her eyes landed on Jake she knew.

“Jake, what have I told you about bothering the boys?” Miss Evans asked as she lead him away from the group.

“To not too,” was Jake’s mumbled reply as he was instructed to sit in his seat and wait for his mom or dad.

Niall continued to cry though. He made grabby hands at his friends who immediately crowded around him, Liam pulling the boy into his arms and holding him tight. Louis was pouting while Harry had tears in his eyes as Zayn played with Niall’s hair. The bell rang and the small group jumped in fright, hearing the kids cheer and run out of the room excitedly and outside to their awaiting parents.

“So Niall’s parents aren’t coming?” They hear Miss Evans ask and Liam looks up and sees his mom and Jay walking in.

“No. No one’s heard of Bobby since he left and Maura works a lot at the hospital,” Jay spoke quietly.

“Oh Ni, baby,” Karen cooed as she knelt down next to the boys and wiped away the child’s tears.

Niall broke free from his friends’ hold and crawled over to Karen who immediately picked him up, rocking him gently to try and calm him down. Jay finished talking to Miss Evans and got the boys ready, grabbing Niall’s things and helping Karen slip on his tiny coat before they left the classroom and towards the car. Karen managed to sit a hiccuping Niall in the backseat in between Louis and Harry with Zayn and Liam on the ends. Louis and Harry each held Niall’s hands and pressed kisses to his wet cheeks, trying to calm him down and make him smile.

In a matter of minutes, Karen had reached her house and lead the kids inside with Jay who was cuddling Niall close to her. Niall was quiet now and played with Jay’s long hair as he rested his head comfortably on her shoulder as the warmth of the house engulfed them all in a warm hug.

“Want lunch, baby?” Jay asked the child in her arms, the other four already heading to the kitchen after removing their jackets and shoes.

“Want mommy,” Niall whimpered, tears slipping down his cheeks again as he clung to Jay who sighed and rubbed his back in soft soothing motions.

“I know bug, but she’s working. How about a nap instead? That can help you relax for a bit, hmm?”

“Food first, please.”

“Alright,” Jay chuckled and took him into the kitchen, sitting him down beside Zayn as Karen prepared them some mac and cheese and heated up some chicken nuggets.

“Ni, don’t be sad no more. We love you,” Zayn told his best friend who turned to look at him with wide blue eyes and a small smile dancing on his lips.

“Ni loves you too,” Niall smiled, a true genuine smile for the first time in days and the boys all smiled back.

After they finished eating and put their plates in the sink, the boys headed up to Louis’ room where Niall was quick to curl up on his best friend’s bed. Louis giggled before jumping on it as well, throwing his small body on top of Niall who laughed loudly. In no time NIall was buried underneath four different bodies as they laughed and talked about random things. Niall’s nap was forgotten as they grew bored quickly and decided to play, the two younger boys wearing their tiaras and pretending to be princesses who needed to be saved by their three princes.

* * * * *

_Mama did her best to hide the struggle_   
_And I did my best to stay out of trouble_   
_I was a little too young and a little too dumb to ever think the day would come_   
_When dad would drive away and take his love with him_   
_So I grew up fast in a whole new world_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to update today, oops. Also, Cassadee Pope is a bae


	8. Your Guardian Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall was running around happily until of course, his clumsy self ended up slipping as he went to go kick the ball and he began crying at the pain he felt when he landed on his bottom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes out to **Teeloganroryflanagan** for making the request of the boys going to visit Niall at the hospital. I wasn't sure what to go with so it took me awhile to write it.

_I will never let you fall_  
_I'll stand up with you forever_  
_I'll be there for you through it all_  
_Even if saving you sends me to heaven_ ~ The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

* * * * *

Things slowly went back to normal. Maura stopped working double shifts and paid more attention to her kids, but there was still no sign of Bobby. Greg at this point was mad at his father and wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but little Niall thought that his dad never loved him. At school things were going great as well, Niall interacting with his friends again and all. Overall, things were good as November came to a start and tiny bits of snowflakes danced around in the wind every so often, but nothing major to make it stick to the ground. Maura had also started to notice a change in Niall, the way he sometimes wheezed when breathing or had terrible coughing fits and even more so when he ran around a lot. Of course though, with the amount of work she had, she seemed to forget about the littlest of things.

~

“Alright kids, time for recess!” Miss Evans yelled and watched as the kids scrambled around to clean up their things before putting on their jackets.

“Can we play football?” Louis asked his mates as he struggled to zip up his dark blue jacket and put on his gloves.

“Oh please!” Niall begged the other three, putting on his beanie with a pink bow on the side.

“Alright,” Liam shrugged, going over to the bin of outdoor toys they had underneath the cubbies, grabbing the black and white football.

Harry helped Louis zip up his jacket who was pouting down at it as he continued to struggle with it. The shorter boy smiled and leaned over to press a quick kiss to Harry’s right cheek in thanks, making Niall giggle as he grabbed Louis’ hand as the two skipped out of the room. Harry was left blushing in his spot and Zayn huffed before tugging his friend out of the now empty classroom.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly and casting a warm glow that was swept away by the wind. Niall was coughing into the crook of his elbow as they reached the grassy part of their playground area. Liam threw the ball on the ground and watched it roll towards Zayn who kicked it over to Louis and the five began to run around kicking the ball in glee. Niall was running around happily until of course, his clumsy self ended up slipping as he went to go kick the ball and he began crying at the pain he felt when he landed on his bottom. His ankle twisted slightly at the fall and his hands came slamming down on the hard ground. The others gasped and watched as Niall’s cries mixed in with his harsh coughing.

“Ni?” Louis called worriedly as he approached his friend who was still on the ground crying and still coughing, though less violently as he wheezed desperately.

“Miss Evans!” Harry shouted, running off to find their teacher while the others stood around not knowing what to do, the sounds of the other children screaming sounding distant as panic filled their tiny bodies.

They knew Niall wasn’t breathing much, if not at all, and there was a slight blue tint to his lips. Louis’ eyes were watering as he covered his mouth with his tiny hands, hearing Harry run back over to them with Miss Evans and the other pre-k teacher on toll.

“What happened?” Miss Evans asked worriedly as she knelt down in front of her student who was still wheezing and clawing at his chest.

“H-He fell, miss,” Liam stuttered out nervously, playing with the zipper on his jacket.

“He’s having an asthma attack. Does he have an inhaler?” The other teacher asked as he held Niall upright.

“No, I-I’ll go call…” she trailed off and he nodded, not wanting the other kids to get more scared at the mention of calling an ambulance.

“Alright Niall, can you try taking slow deep breaths for me?” The guy asked softly, motioning the other boys to get closer to comfort their friend.

“Mr. Barry, is N-Ni going to be okay?” Zayn asked timidly, holding Louis’ hand as the others helped Mr. Barry with Niall.

“Don’t worry kids,” Mr.Barry smiled reassuringly at them.

Eventually all the kids were ushered into Mr.Barry’s classroom, even Niall’s friends as the ambulance came and the paramedics got to work on Niall who was close to passing out by then.

“I’ll stay with the kids and inform their moms when they pick up Niall’s friends,” Mr. Barry offered Miss Evans.

“Thank you, I’ll call his mother once we get to the hospital.”

When Niall opened his eyes again, the bright lights of the hospital room blinded him for a few minutes until his sight got adjusted to the sudden change of illumination. Looking around he found himself alone, but various cartoon characters covered the walls of the room he was in, a few princesses to the right of his bed where the window was. He felt a slight pain in his chest and there was an oxygen mask over his nose.

“Hi baby,” Maura spoke softly, peeking her head into the room with a smile.

“Mommy,” Niall whimpered, making grabby hands at her.

“Oh baby, you’re okay,” Maura cooed as she hugged her son carefully, pressing the button by his bed to call for a nurse.

A few seconds later a nice older lady walked in and smiled widely at Niall who was clutching onto his mother tightly.

“The doctor’s on his way, though he will have to spend the night in case his fall from earlier has any consequences like a sprained wrist or broken bone,” the nurse informed Maura who nodded, running her hands gently through Niall’s hair.

“How’s the patient doing?” The doctor asked happily as he stepped into the room. “Does anything hurt buddy?”

Niall shook his head and laid back down on the bed as he let the doctor check over him. Niall’s oxygen mask was removed once he concluded.

“Alrighty then, so I take it this was his first asthma attack?” The doctor questioned, looking down at the clipboard in his hands and writing something down.

“Yeah, but what caused it? I mean, yeah he’s been having a bit of trouble breathing lately and all, but according to his teacher this was big,” Maura spoke, her eyes never leaving her small child who still looked scared as he looked around the room.

“His teacher commented how he’d been coughing all morning and once they were outside, the wind could have been a factor and also his fall and how hard he was crying. Though now that we’ve discovered this, he will need an inhaler and I will bring you the prescription for it. Be aware that he could have other small attacks throughout the day, usually when one is triggered others seem to follow though not as bad.”

Maura nodded and noticed Niall was now asleep once again. The doctor left and Maura walked out into the hall to make some phone calls. She needed to reach Bobby, but she hadn’t heard from him in weeks and had no idea where to call besides his work place.

~ ~ ~

 

When Niall woke up, he saw his four best friends sitting around him talking quietly until they noticed that their friend was awake. Niall smiled at them and Louis hugged him tightly.

“Ni, you’re okay!” Louis cheered, snuggling into his best friend.

“Duh!” Niall giggled, wrapping his arms around Louis tightly.

The others giggled as well and gave Niall kisses on his cheeks. They kept Niall company for about half an hour until the door opened and Bobby walked in, sighing in relief when he saw his son was okay. Niall froze when he saw his father, gripping Louis’ hand tighter as his bottom lip trembled. Louis glared at Niall’s dad the best he could, wanting to protect his best friend as the others did the same, though Liam a bit more hesitantly.

“Boys, let’s wait outside,” Anne spoke as she walked in and the others whined. “Now.”

They left the room hesitantly and bumped into Greg who gave them a reassuring smile. The door closed and Greg sat next to his little brother who immediately curled up into his side, hiding behind Greg’s shoulder to not look at their father.

“Do we know you?” Greg asked angrily, patting Niall’s back.

“Greg, please, you know I love you boys,” Bobby pleaded.

“Funny way of showing it, _dad,_ ”

“I know I did wrong boys, but I still love you. You two are my boys and nothing will ever change that, it’s just, I needed time and I’m sorry this had to happen to Ni for me to come see you guys after a month.”

Niall was looking up at his father curiously with a pout on his lips as he listened to the conversation. He had missed his father and all, but he was hesitant to let him back in. He didn’t want his heart to be broken again because of Bobby.

“Ni love Bobby, but he hurt Ni,” the tiny boy spoke up timidly, hiding more into his brother’s side and Greg tightened his hold on his little brother.

“Oh buddy, I’m so sorry and I love you too. Can you and Greg forgive me? I promise to not do it again and you guys can even spend the night at my place once Ni’s all better,” Bobby suggested, not wanting to show the amount of pain he was feeling at Niall’s statement.

“Fine, but you better not go off again,” Greg spoke up with a soft smile on his face.

“I promise I won’t.”

With that, Bobby pulled both of his boys into his arms and held them tightly, hearing Niall giggle as his scruff tickled the child’s cheek.

Bobby left almost an hour later just as the nurse brought in Niall’s dinner who refused to eat it because it tasted gross. Maura and Anne walked into the room though with food from McDonald’s followed by the other little boys who sat with Niall on the bed and they all ate their food laughing at Greg’s silly jokes.

“Ni, we got you a present!” Harry exclaimed, going over to his mom who had a bag resting on the floor by her feet.

“Really?!” Niall giggled softly, eyes wide as he followed Harry’s every move.

“Open,” Zayn encouraged his younger friend who took the bag with a thanks and began to open it.

Niall pulled out a green tutu with a new tiara and a small stuffed kitten with white fur and big blue eyes.

“Thank you!” Niall cheered, opening his arms indicating he wanted a hug.

“I got one too so we can be matchie matchie,” Louis giggled, “mine blue though.”

Maura and Anne watched the scene happily. Maura was glad her son had four amazing best friends he could always count on and was glad that the boys always knew how to bring a smile to the four year old’s face.

* * * * *

_Please don't throw that away_  
_'Cause I'm here for you_  
_Please don't walk away and_  
_Please tell me you'll stay_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It came out kind of crappy, but I went based on what happened to my nephew a few days ago and I promise I'll add more fluffiness next chapter because these have been angsty.
> 
> Also, prepare yourselves for not one, but **two** Christmas chapters!!


	9. Fights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was going to grab a green crayon when Louis reached over quickly and took it away from the younger boy. Niall scoffed and went to grab another color when again Louis took it away from him.

It was a normal day at school, a week after Niall’s first asthma attack and the boys were all playing outside happily. Louis hadn’t slept right the night before so he’d been extra sassy that day and Zayn seemed to be in one of his _I-want-to-be-alone_ kind of moods. Harry was off playing with some other boys and Liam just wanted to finish reading the book he’d started during quiet time. Niall was happy, though none of his friends wanted to actually play with him so he was walking around sadly.

“Hi buddy, why so lonely?” Mr. Barry asked as he walked up to the child and lead him over to a small bench so they could sit.

“No one wants to play with me,” Niall pouted as he looked up at the tall blonde teacher.

“Well how about I play with you, yeah?”

“Okay!” Niall giggled, running off to find a soccer ball.

Mr. Barry and Niall kicked the ball around for awhile, Louis watching the pair grumpily from his spot under a tree as he munched on his Pringles angrily. He didn’t want anyone playing with his Ni but him and the boys.

Eventually the bell rang and all of the kids ran inside chattering loudly as the teachers called them. Niall hummed to himself as he headed to his seat where the others were already at the table talking among themselves. Louis glared at his friend and Niall frowned in confusion.

“Lou okay?” Niall asked timidly.

“No! You played with dumb Mr.Barry and not me,” Louis pouted, making the other three boys look at the two curiously.

“No one played with Ni and Mr.Barry not dumb! He was nice to Ni,” Niall defended the kind blonde teacher who had kept him company for the forty minutes of recess they’d had.

“We’re sorry, Ni,” Harry whimpered, eyes shining with tears.

“It’s okay Harry,” Niall shrugged. “Louis being mean to Ni so I no forgive him.”

“Good, cause I’m not sorry.”

Zayn rolled his eyes at the pair, but before Liam could intervene, Miss Evans started to hand out their next assignment.

“Alright kids, so for the next two days we’re going to focus on our families. I want you kids to draw a picture of your family; mom, dad, brothers, sisters, your pets, anyone that lives at your house, okay? Remember to be creative and use a lot of colors!” Miss Evans told them excitedly as she finished placing blank sheets of paper in the center of every table.

They all got to work right away, Niall busy coloring in his mom and Greg close and Bobby far from them with grass in between and two houses, though he hadn’t seen Bobby’s new place yet. He was going to grab a green crayon when Louis reached over quickly and took it away from the younger boy. Niall scoffed and went to grab another color when again Louis took it away from him.

“Louis, don’t be mean!” Niall cried in frustration, wanting nothing more than to finish coloring his picture.

“No touch my crayons! You gots your own!” Louis huffed angrily, taking all of the crayons from the center of the table.

“Nu uh! I losted mine and mommy won’t buy me more!”

“Well, you stupid then.”

“Louis!” The other boys gasped as Niall’s bottom lip started to tremble and suddenly Niall was crying loudly and throwing markers at Louis who had taken the seat across from Niall to be away from him.

“Whoa, boys! Boys, stop!” Miss Evans shouted as she ran over to them, hearing the other kids snicker in amusement. “Niall, stop throwing things!”

 

Niall stopped and sat there crying while Louis too looked like he was going to start crying, the other three working on their drawings to avoid the confrontation.

“What’s going on here? Why are you two fighting?” Miss Evans asked in a softer tone as she took a seat next to Niall who was looking down at his drawing ruined by his tears.

“H-He called Ni stupid,” Niall hiccuped, pointing a finger at Louis who went back to frowning.

“Tattle tale!” Louis said and Miss Evans shushed him.

“Louis, you know you’re not supposed to be saying things like that, especially not to your friends. Now, why are you two fighting?”

“N-No one wanted to p-play with Ni, so Mr.Barry did and Lou got mad.”

“And he touch my crayons!”

“Louis, you know you’re supposed to share and getting mad at Niall for something so silly is not okay, either. He wanted to play with somebody and Mr.Barry didn’t want Ni to be alone.”

“Well, he dumb cause Ni is my friend and mine only,” Louis spoke possessively as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Miss Evans smiled and refrained from cooing at the almost five year old. She told the boys to clean up the crayons and made Niall sit in one of the empty tables with a bunch of markers and blank sheets of paper. Niall was still sniffling as Miss Evans handed him some tissues and sat with him to keep him company.

“Lou, you must say sorry to Ni,” Liam spoke in a stern voice as he looked at Louis who shrugged.

“Santa Clause won’t bring you presents cause you’re being very naughty,” said Harry as he stood up and took his things over to sit with Niall who flashed the green eyed boy a smile.

Class ended an hour later and Niall held Harry’s hand as they followed Maura and Jay out to the awaiting van. Louis climbed in the very back with Zayn while Liam and Harry sat in the middle with Niall who had refused to say a word since the moms arrived.

“Did you have fun at school today, boys?” Jay asked, turning around in the passenger seat to look at the boys.

“No, Lou call me stupid. Ni’s not stupid, right?” Niall asked sadly as he looked up at her.

“Louis William Tomlinson!” Jay scolded her son who simply shrunk back in his seat. “Oh sweetie, of course you’re not stupid. You are a very smart boy.”

Niall giggled as Jay tapped his nose lightly and he snuggled into Harry who grinned and blushed. Louis pouted and turned his head to look out the window instead. Zayn poked Louis’ side which caused the younger boy to let out a giggle and the dark haired child smiled before poking him repeatedly.

“Zee, stop!” Louis giggled, trying to get away from his best friend’s finger while Zayn laughed and instead leaned over, pressing a quick kiss to Louis’ cheek.

Once at Niall’s house, the kids all ran up to his room and Louis followed along slowly. Niall noticed and grabbed Louis’ hand, giving him a smile before tugging him to walk faster. Louis smiled back and jogged after the others still holding Niall’s hand.

“Ni, I’m sorry,” Louis pouted, tugging at Niall’s hand to get him to stop.

“It’s okay,” Niall shrugged happily and Louis threw himself onto him, wrapping his tiny arms around Niall who let out a shriek of surprise.

“Group hug!” Liam yelled and the others joined, wrapping their arms around the two youngest members of the group.

“Yay!” They all cheered, jumping around excitedly.

“Boys, come down for lunch!” Jay shouted up the stairs and suddenly five pair of feet were running down the hall to the stairs, but slowing down to walk carefully.

Niall and Louis ended up sharing a chair like when they first met and ate between giggles and telling jokes with the others. Maura and Jay watched them happily as the boys ate at their usual slow pace.

The weekend arrived and Niall and Greg were both helping their mom put their Christmas tree up. Niall was humming a Christmas song that they’d learned at school while Greg was focused on the TV. Maura was handing Niall some ornaments and he placed them where he could reach. He was happy because his favorite holiday was coming up, also Louis’ birthday was coming up and his would be to a few days after Christmas. He was also sad though because Bobby had yet again disappeared and this would be their first holiday with a broken family.

“Mommy, can we get a doggy for Christmas?” Niall asked and this made Greg look over, helping his little brother plea to their mom.

“Not now kids, maybe next year,” Maura sighed.

“But mom!” They both whined.

Niall simply pouted and readjusted the tiara he was wearing before placing a penguin figurine on the tree. He giggled and skipped over to another box filled with cute little animals. The doorbell went off and Maura gave Niall permission to go open the door while she adjusted the star at the top.

“Zee!” Niall squealed, throwing himself onto his friend and hugging him tight.

“Hi princess,” Zayn smiled, hugging back before tickling Niall away from him.

“Hi Trisha!”

“Hi Niall, is your mommy home?” Trisha smiled down at the little brunette

“Trisha, come in!” Maura greeted as she walked over.

Niall dragged Zayn into the living room where he showed off his tree and favorite penguin. Zayn simply giggled and tugged at Niall’s dark blue hoodie which was a bit big on him and gave him sweater paws. They sat on the couch with Greg who was busy flipping through the channels, the moms talking in the kitchen.

“Mommy said that Lou and I have a birthday party together after Christmas,” Niall grinned at Zayn.

“That’s cool. Hazzy and I had a party for our birthday a long long time ago,” Zayn stated, though his long long time ago was really back in January of that year.

Niall and Louis’ birthdays fell almost a week apart, so Maura and Jay decided to throw a birthday party for the two. Niall and Louis were beyond excited for their party and to get double the presents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shitty update but I thought it was cute so whatever. Double update next week!! The first chapter will be uploaded on Wednesday and the other on Friday or Saturday, I'm moving towards the latter though. Thanks again for your lovely comments and for the kudos :)
> 
> Oh also to clear up any questions, yes they will grow up eventually and there will be a sequel ;)
> 
> Also for the sake of this story and because I wanted to, Niall and Louis almost share a birthday


	10. Let It Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they play in the snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!!

Today was the first official day of their Christmas break and for the two almost three weeks they would be at home causing nothing but trouble. On the first day of their break, the day before Christmas Eve also the day before Louis’ birthday, they all woke up in the morning at Niall’s place to the surprise that it was snowing. It had snowed for a bit back in November, but didn’t stick around for long and now there seemed to be a good few inches on the ground which made the five boys excited.

“There’s snow!” Louis shouted excitedly, giggling as he jumped up and down.

“I want food first,” Niall smiled before walking out of his room and towards the stairs.

The others followed shortly after and found Niall already sitting at the table with Greg while Maura made breakfast.

“Mommy, can we play outside in the snow?!” Niall asked his mother excitedly, thanking her when she placed a plate of pancakes in front of him along with a plastic cup of chocolate milk.

“You sure can boys, but you’ll need your snowpants and boots,” Maura reminded them.

“Aww, but ma!” The boys whined, making Greg chuckled as he added syrup to his pancakes and helping Niall out with his.

“No buts, boys,” Maura laughed, handing each boy a plate and their milk.

After breakfast, Trisha arrived with the kids snowpants and they all changed upstairs, excited to play out in the fluffy snow. Niall had on purple snowpants that matched his purple beanie and snow gloves. Louis had sky blue pants while Liam and Harry both had blue and Zayn black.

“Let’s go!” Niall cheered, leading the way downstairs and towards the door that lead to the backyard.

They ran through the snow covered yard, giggling as they tripped and landed on the ground in a tangled mess of limbs. Niall rolled until he was able to spread out like a starfish and then proceeded to move his arms and legs, making a snow angel.

“Look! I’m making a show angel!” Niall called, giggling after and the others smiled.

“Well you’re our snow princess,” Liam gushed with a big smile on his face as he made a snowball the best he could with his tiny hands and then threw it at a distracted Zayn who gasped at the sudden hit.

“War!” Zayn declared and bent down to grab his fistful of snow and packed it the best he could before throwing it at Liam who ducked and it ended up hitting Louis in the chest.

“Rude!” Louis pouted and soon they were all throwing snow at each other, Niall running across the yard to avoid getting hit and giggling like crazy while the others tried to throw their snowballs at the younger boy.

“You’ll never catch me!” Niall giggled, but soon after Harry’s snowball knocked him down and he fell face first into the snow.

“Ni, you okay?” Harry asked worriedly as him and Zayn helped the boy up.

“It’s cold,” Niall giggled as he shook the snow off of his face and front.

Louis giggled before he tackled Niall to the ground, latching onto him like a baby koala. The snowball war continued until eventually they were actually shoving snow down their jackets. Louis being the crazy prankster he likes to be, grabbed a big bunch and shoved it down Liam’s pants which made the boy scream and wiggle around while the other four laughed.

“Louis!” Liam cried, still trying to shake the now melting snow off.

“Aww, I’m sorry Lili,” Louis pouted, going up to his older friend and pressing a quick kiss to the boy’s reddened cheek.

“Eww, cooties,” Harry teased and Niall giggled before him and Zayn attacked the green eyed boy with kisses.

“Boys, come in for some hot chocolate so you can warm up before you catch a cold!” Maura called from the door.

“Coming, Ma!” The boys responded before waddling through the snow and towards the house.

“It’s snowing again!” Zayn pointed out, his head tipped backwards as he stared up at the sky with eyes wide in wonder and tongue out ready to catch the falling snowflakes.

“They’re so pretty,” Niall spoke in awe, holding his palm out and watching the different snowflakes fall into his hand and stick for a few seconds before melting.

“They’re all different,” Louis whispered, he too holding his hand out.

“Boys, in,” Maura told them and held the door open for the boys who took off their boots in the deck area before stepping inside.

“I’m cold,” Niall whined rubbing his arms up and down as his mom placed their jackets in the laundry room, hanging them up so they could dry along with their pants

“Then grab blankets and go into the living room, I just put the fire on and you should all warm up quickly,” Maura told them, ushering them out of the room.

“Okay, ma!” They said, running up the stairs to Niall’s room and grabbing their pillows and blankets before running back down to the living room to sit near the fire.

“Here are your drinks boys, be careful,” Maura told them as she set a tray of five mugs with hot chocolate and tiny marshmallows on the coffee table.

“Thanks, ma,” Liam smiled up at her and they all grabbed their mugs carefully, blankets draped around their shoulders.

“Tomorrow’s your birthday boo, you excited?” Harry asked, looking over at his friend.

“Duh, Haz!” said Louis while rolling his eyes.

Harry giggled and took a small sip of his drink, pulling a marshmallow into his mouth. After they finished their drinks, the lads curled up on the ground, heads resting on pillows and limbs interlocked underneath the mountain of blankets thrown over their tiny bodies with eyes growing heavy and conversations turning into mumbles.

“Ni loves you,” Niall mumbled in between yawns as he cuddled up into Zayn.

“We love you too,” the others replied quietly before they fell into a deep slumber.

When the other moms arrived to take their kids home, they cooed at the sight and took a picture. Gemma stood off to the side and rolled her eyes before walking over with Greg, both wearing smirks on their faces before yelling at the kids to wake up.

“Gemma!” “Greg!” Both Maura and Anne shouted angrily and the two older kids merely shrugged as the others whined, Niall and Louis whimpering as their hearts raced.

“Gemma, you stinky face!” Harry groaned, rolling on top of Liam who let out an oof at the extra weight on his chest.

“Stupid Greg,” Niall mumbled tiredly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is short, but I'm tired, working on a new story *cough*Narry*cough* and I promised this would be up today  
> Also, it's not the 24th yet so my baby Louis is still 23 :):


	11. Mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids get taught what a mistletoe is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's really short, but please excuse me since I only got like two hours of sleep because we celebrate Christmas Eve and I'm sick and I literally wrote this chapter today. Enjoy it nonetheless :)

Christmas day finally arrived and after spending Christmas Eve with Greg and Bobby, Niall was more than happy to see his friends again and spend Christmas with them. They would be having dinner at the Styles’ house since they had the biggest house by far. Maura dressed her sons into white dress shirts and black slacks, though Niall had refused at first and wanted to wear his tutu that Bobby had gotten for him and his new tiara. Greg had simply rolled his eyes and waited for his brother to stop throwing his tantrum so they could leave.

“Why the long face, baby?” Anne asked Niall once the family of three walked into her house.

“Mommy no let me wear my new crown and pretty tutu that Bobby gave me,” Niall pouted, eyes lightening up when he saw Harry walking over to him with a Christmas tree shaped cookie.

“Here Ni, this for you,” Harry smiled, handing the cookie to Niall who smiled back and walked off with the green eyed boy.

“Ni’s here!” Louis shouted excitedly, getting up from his spot on the couch and running over to Niall to hug him tight.

“Hi Lou!” Niall giggled, hugging the boy back with one arm before taking a bite of his cookie and going to sit next to Zayn. “Where’s Liam?”

“Not here yet,” Louis rolled his eyes, sitting next to Harry with a plate of Christmas cookies Anne dropped off for them.

“Was Bobby nice to Niall?” Zayn asked as he grabbed two cookies, handing Niall one before eating the other one himself.

“Yeah,” Niall shrugged, too focused on his cookie to bother with a full sentence.

The boys watched curiously as the moms ran around setting the dinner table, putting finishing touches to the food and setting their piles of Christmas presents under the tree. Niall was cuddled into Zayn’s side while Harry and Louis played a board game as they waited for Liam to arrived. Gemma and Greg were off watching TV while keeping an eye on a sleeping Lottie in her car seat.

“Come in!” Jay shouted in glee, moving out of the doorway to let the Payne’s in.

“Merry Christmas!” was greeted in return and Liam ran over to his friends, sittin down next to Zayn and greeting all four.

“Ruth and Nicola take forever getting ready,” Liam groaned, earning giggles from Louis and Niall while Harry agreed.

“Girls,” was all Harry mumbled.

“Lottie sleeps and eats and uses her nappy all the time,” Louis shrugged casually.

“Kids, dinner time!” Karen called and the boys stood up and ran over to her and she lead them to the dining room.

The table was meant for ten people, but they managed to squish in a few more chairs though once more Louis insisted on sharing with Niall. Gemma and Harry sat next to each other and Liam sat in between his older sisters with Zayn sitting next to his mom and Greg next to his.

“So Louis, how was your birthday yesterday sweetie?” Trisha asked the now five year old.

“It was fun! Mommy took Lottie and me for food and I gots ice cream cake and then daddy gave me more presents and he said I could open them.” Louis grinned, bouncing in his seat which kept Niall from eating his food properly with the shaking five year old next to him.

After dinner was over, the boys were running around while the adults sat around chattering happily. Niall and Louis came to rest under the living room doorway, both trying to catch their breaths while the others were looking for the two.

“You're under the mistletoe!” Nicola shouted angrily and both Gemma and Ruth giggled.

“What’s that?” Niall asked curiously as he tipped his head to the side while looking at the older girls.

“It’s a plant and you two gotta kiss on the lips,” Gemma butted in.

“But why? Only big people kiss like that,” Louis stated, a hand on his hip as he stared intensely at the giggling girls.

“Just a little peck, besides you gotta. It’s a rule,” Gemma argued back and suddenly the three others came in.

“Come on Lou!” Niall giggled before puckering his lips and closing his eyes.

Louis shrugged and he too leaned forward with puckered lips. Their lips met briefly before they pulled away and giggled crazily.

“Ladies, you will not believe what I got on picture!” Maura squealed as she walked off with her polaroid camera and the picture of the two boys kissing.

“Mommy!” Niall whined with a blush as he hid behind Harry and Liam who were smiling so big while Louis was left glaring at the three girls who walked off in giggles.

“Girls have cooties anyway,” Zayn shrugged and Louis dragged the dark haired boy to stand under the mistletoe and left kisses on his cheeks and a brief one on his lips.

Niall giggled and held hands with Harry and Liam as they walked off to go play again. Maybe girls did have cooties, but Niall couldn’t deny the amount of happiness he felt being around his four boys and even though he was four, he knew he loved them with all his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gross, this was really short but Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! This is the last update until January 4th most likely but I'll probably post the first chapter of my new story in the next few days :)
> 
> Hope you're staying safe and had fun on Christmas and enjoy the last few days of 2015.


	12. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis and Niall immediately went up to the table and awwed at the cake covered in purple frosting with Ariel and Cinderella on it, their two favorite princesses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of the new year!!!

It’s three days after Christmas and Niall’s birthday is a day away, but Jay and Maura decided to throw Louis and Niall’s party a day before. The two boys were currently obsessed with Cinderella and so by request, they wanted a princess themed party. Maura and Jay silently squealed in delight at having an excuse to buy all the cute princess themed things for the party. Lottie was too small to ask for things and well Maura only had boys, Bobby not wanting to risk his wife’s life with another pregnancy after the two rough ones they had, so she was left with wanting a little girl.

“Mommy, is Bobby coming to Ni and Lou’s party?” Niall asked the night before the party as she tucked her son in his bed.

“I’m not sure honey, did you tell him when you saw him?” Maura asked, smoothing back her son’s brown hair.

“Yeah, but he say he bring me and LouLou present soon.”

“Alright love, time for sleep because you and Lou have a busy day ahead.”

“Night mommy,” Niall yawned and cuddled into his blankets.

In the morning Niall was jumping with excitement as the Tomlinson family arrived at his house to get ready for the party, Niall and Louis running up the stairs to get changed.

“Mommy says we can has ice cream with our cake,” Louis spoke as he smiled at Niall.

“Ice cream!” Niall cheered, grabbing his favorite tiara and placing it on his head as Louis did the same, both boys wearing their matching tutus that Jay got them for the special occasion and their birthday sash that said birthday princess in big pink letters.

“Boys, can you come down for a sec?!” Jay called up the stairs to them and they raced downstairs with soft giggles escaping their lips.

“Yes, mommy?” Louis asked as they stood in front of her and Jay cooed at the two boys, pinching their cheeks lovingly.

“Don’t cause too much trouble while we get things set up, the guests should be here soon. Okay boys?”

“No worries Mama Jay!” Niall grinned up at her.

“You’re so adorable!” Jay cooed once more as she leaned down to kiss Niall’s forehead and then Louis’ before walking off to help Maura with the balloons.

The remaining three boys arrived a half an hour later with their families and presents for both boys where they set on a table where the cake would go and balloons on either side with Disney princesses on them and reading Happy Birthday.

“Mommy, where daddy?” Louis asked Jay who was hanging up the birthday banner above the table.

“He went to go get the cake baby, but he’ll be back soon before your other little friends arrive,” Jay assured him and Louis shouted excitedly before running off to tell his boys.

The party was soon in full swing and the presents were overflowing the table, leaving no room for the cake so when Louis’ dad arrived with it, some were placed on the ground. Louis and Niall immediately went up to the table and awwed at the cake covered in purple frosting with Ariel and Cinderella on it, their two favorite princesses.

“It’s so pretty!” Niall stated as he grabbed Louis’ hand and the slightly older boy gave it a soft squeeze.

“It’s pretty,” Louis agreed, dragging his friend towards the living room where all the kids were playing one of the games the moms had come up with to entertain the hyper four and five year olds.

Niall was happy, but not entirely because his dad hadn’t showed up yet and the party was almost halfway over. Louis had his daddy and his nana and grandpa, but all four of Niall’s grandparents were in Ireland and his dad was most likely not going to show up.

“Ni, you okay?” Liam asked the child whose mood had changed a bit as the party wore on.

“Bobby not here and he’s not coming,” Niall mumbled, looking at Liam with the saddest pair of blue eyes it made the older boy want to cry himself, not liking that his princess was so sad.

“Maybe he’ll come tomorrow?” Liam suggested, trying to keep Niall from crying.

“But today’s a special day!” Niall argued, stomping his feet, catching the attention of Zayn who walked over to the pair.

“But tomorrow’s your actual birthday, Ni, maybe he’ll take you out?” Zayn suggested but Niall shook his head stubbornly, tears already falling down his cheeks.

“I want him here now! Bobby, don’t love Ni!” Niall cried and Greg was quick to enough to take Niall out of the living room and into the laundry room before the tantrum got bigger.

“Ni, don’t cry!” Greg begged as he tried soothing his younger brother who was hiccuping and wiping away his tears furiously.

“Want d-daddy!”

“What’s going on?” Maura asked as she walked into room with a frown on her face. “Oh baby, why are you crying? Greg, what happened?”

“He wants Bobby,” was Greg’s mumbled response before he walked out angrily. He was angry at his father for once again disappointing his baby brother.

“Sweetie, I’m sure he’ll show up later, maybe even once everyone is gone,” Maura tried as she picked up the small five year old who cried into her shoulder.

Louis peeked his little head in and Maura motioned him forward, the child setting Niall’s forgotten tiara on top of the dryer before putting a small timid hand on Niall’s foot and tugging on it gently. Niall looked down and offered his best friend a teary smile.

“Don’t be sad Ni, you’ve gotta be happy cos we’ve got chocolate cake and ice cream!” Louis cheered which made Niall giggle and Maura set him down in front of the other birthday boy.

“Ni happy now,” Niall assured the two others in the room, giving them a big smile showing off all of his teeth minus one.

The laughter of children sounded from the living room and it only seemed to get louder as the two birthday boys approached, holding hands and going over to their other boys. Zayn grabbed Louis’ other hand as Harry and Liam were participating in the game with the other boys and girls at the party.

“It’s time for cake!” Jay yelled as she finished putting the candles on the cake, two number fives, one for each boy.

“Cake!” Niall chanted excitedly, dragging Louis over to the table.

Jay laughed and lit up the candles, helping the boys stand in front of the large cake and instructing them what to do while the others started to sing Happy Birthday. Niall was blushing at all of the attention while Louis smiled and soaked it all up. Niall was shy while Louis lived to be the center of attention. He was just born to be in the spotlight.

“Happy birthday, boys,” Jay smiled after the two had blown out their candles and hugged them tight, placing a kiss to the top of their heads.

“Cake please,” Niall told her with a smile and Maura and Anne came forward to help with the ice cream and cut the cake.

“Coming right up, princess,” Jay smiled and Louis giggled as he poked Niall’s cheek.

Anne handed the two boys a plate with ice cream and cake before telling them to be careful as they walked off to sit on the ground next to Lottie who was wide awake in her seat.

“Hi Lo!” Louis greeted his baby sister who simply gurgled happily and extended a hand towards her brother.

“Cake is yummy,” Niall jumped in his seat excitedly as went for another spoonful.

“Very yummy,” Harry agreed as he sat next to the boys.

The party ended sometime later leaving five exhausted boys sprawled out on the living room floor with wrapping paper, bows and other things. Niall had a pink present bow on his head thanks to Zayn who managed to save it from one of the presents that had been opened. The two boys had gotten a lot of toys and money, Louis’ nana giving the two a Cinderella and Ariel doll.

“Ma says you need to help with cleaning,” Gemma spoke as she walked into the room and looked down at the children who whined.

“But we’re tired, Gemma,” Harry complained as he sat up to glare at his big sister.

“Not my problem but the moms are all cleaning the kitchen and someone needs to clean the living room.”

“Clean it yourself,” Louis mumbled.

“She said you’ll get more cake and ice cream if you help out,” Nicola, Liam’s sister, chimed in as she walked in with a trash bag.

“Yes!” The five boys cheered and quickly got to work while the two older sisters laughed.

“Gemma, Nicola!” Karen scolded from the kitchen but the two girls simply laughed and walked off to join Ruth and Greg who were playing some video game.

“Is Ni sad?” Zayn asked after minutes of silence from the child with the bright blue eyes who were now dull and sparkled with unshed tears.

“Bobby no came to see Ni and Lou, he said he be here. Bobby hate Ni,” Niall sniffled as he sat on the ground with a pout.

“Ni, Bobby no hate you!” Louis gasped in shock as he sat next to his friend and tackled him to the ground, clinging to him like a baby koala.

“It feels like Ni don’t have a daddy, though.”

“Then we can share! My daddy can be your daddy!” Louis exclaimed and Harry giggled quietly as approached the two boys on the floor. “Miss Evans say sharing is nice, so we can share!”

Niall giggled at that, but didn’t say anything. Maura, who’d been watching from the doorway, smiled at the boys before walking away. She knew that her son would be in great hands in the future, with Harry, Liam and Zayn protecting the two younger ones, she had nothing to worry about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty my little penguins, I've got the rest of the story planned out so yes there will only be 26 chapters, but don't fret, the sequel is now in the works *applause* though updates will no longer be on Fridays and if I can I will try for double updates when I can :)


	13. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis sat down next to the crying Irish boy and wrapped his arms around him as they listened to the noises in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit late, this seriously took me 3 weeks to write :/

It was finally summer and the kids had finished their first year of school a week ago. They would finally be heading to school full time in the fall and the group of five was not happy with the news. They thought that going to school all day was simply for mean big brothers and sisters (Gemma, Greg and Liam’s sisters), apparently they’ve been wrong though. Today the five moms would be taking their kids to the park since it’s been raining non stop for almost a whole week and the sun finally came out so they wanted to let the kids blow some steam outside. They packed food in picnic baskets and Jay dropped off Lottie at her mom’s before heading out with the rest.

“Mommy,” Niall whined as he stood by the front door, waiting for his mom and brother to hurry up so they could leave.

“Baby, you can’t rush us. And we gotta wait for Louis and his mommy to come first so we can go,” Maura instructed as she set a small cooler filled with water bottles and some juice boxes with ice, on the ground.

Niall pouted, but it quickly faded when the doorbell rang and he opened the door, cheering when he saw Louis and Mama Jay.

“Hi sweetie, you ready to go?” Jay asked the child who attached himself to her legs while Louis giggled beside his mom.

“I’m ready!”

“Mommy, can we wait outside?” Louis asked as he looked up at his mom who nodded with a smile. “Yay! Come on, Ni!”

Niall and Louis ran outside and stood by the car, talking cheerfully as they waited for Greg and their moms to come out. They were excited to finally go to the park and run around, get to see their other friends who they haven’t seen all week due to the rain.

Eventually they make it to the park and the five boys immediately run towards the playground, Gemma, Ruth and Nicola sitting over by the fountain and Greg managed to find a few friends of his that were over by the skate area.

“Greg wants to get a doggy and mommy said yes, but I’m scared of doggies,” Niall pouted, sitting down on one of the steps as the others ran around the large structure.

“I’m scared of doggies too,” Louis giggled, sitting down next to the Irish lad and leaning over to kiss his cheek.

“They’re nice though,” Harry argued as he went down the slide and went to go climb it back up, but Liam scolded him.

“I guess,” Niall shrugged with a pout. “Let’s go on the swings!”

Louis and Zayn followed the child towards the swings, the other two staying on the playground and attempting to cross the monkey bars but with no luck. Niall didn’t actually sit on the swing, instead he placed his tummy on the seat and kicked his little legs back and forth as he began to move, giggling as he did so. Zayn bit his bottom lip, worried that the Irish boy would get hurt but eventually shrugged it off and sat on the sandbox that was beside the swings.

Niall quickly grew bored of the swings and wandered around the park, collecting flowers as he went and singing to himself quietly while hearing the other kids at the park laughing and shouting as they ran around. Suddenly Niall felt a tiny hand wrap around his arm and he jumped, turning his head to the side only to find Louis standing there with a large smile.

“Hi LouLou!” Niall greeted, placing a yellow flower behind Louis’ left ear. “Now you’re more pretty!”

Louis blushed and thanked his friend quietly as he took picked up a flower and placed it behind Niall’s ear. The two younger boys held hands as they walked around the park talking and picking up flowers on their way while the other three were too distracted playing around with other kids to notice that Louis and Niall were drifting away from them.

*

“Where are Ni and Lou?” Harry suddenly asked a few minutes later as he looked around the park, frowning when he couldn’t find either boy.

“Dunno,” Zayn shrugged lazily as he too looked around.

“We should look for them!” Liam cried worriedly, checking behind slides and the closest trees.

“Mommy won’t like this. We losted our friends!” Harry cried as he plopped down on the grass and began to tear up.

“Shh, no Hazzy! We’ll find them!” Zayn stated as he wrapped his arms around the green eyed boy while Liam tugged at his short hair in frustration.

*

“We’re lost!” Niall sobbed, sitting down on a giant rock in the middle of a small forest that was in the park.

“No we’re not! We can find our way back!” Louis insisted as he looked all around the scary place, the giant trees looming menacingly over the small boys. “Hazzy, Li and Zaynie will come find us.”

Louis sat down next to the crying Irish boy and wrapped his arms around him as they listened to the noises in the forest. Birds chirped, leaves rustling in the wind and little animal footsteps made the two children shiver in fear. Eventually the Doncaster lad couldn’t hold in his tears anymore and he too began to cry at the fear that consumed him.

“W-What if they forget us?” Niall hiccuped after awhile, the sun starting to move towards the horizon.

“T-They can’t!” Louis stuttered out, bottom lip trembling as he searched all around, trying to remember which way they came from. “We should try to find them!”

Niall nodded and the two stood up on shaky legs, trying to decide which way to go. Louis grabbed Niall’s hand and lead him towards a random part and they weaved through trees and branches. They were careful to not trip on roots and rocks as they searched their way through the woods.

*

“We can’t tell our mommies,” Zayn whispered as the three of them made a little huddle to plan what they would do.

“But what if we get lost too? Then we all get lost and mommies leave us here!” Harry cried, tears still rolling down his rosy cheeks.

“We won’t get lost, but maybe we can ask our sisters and Greg to help,” Liam suggested, biting his nails nervously.

“No, cause big siblings tattle all the time so we gotta do it ourselves.” Zayn insisted, giving Liam the best glare he could muster up but instead ended up looking like a puppy begging his owner for a treat.

“Okay, so let’s go.”

The three moved towards the wooded area and took a deep breath before going inside, getting swallowed up by the large trees. They held hands as they called for their missing friends names and searched every inch they could.

“Niall!” they heard Louis yell and they smiled a bit in relief until they began to worry over their youngest friend.

“Lou!” “Ni!” the three shouted.

“Over here!” Louis yelled back and they spotted the two boys over by a small creek, Louis helping Niall out of said creek and his clothes were soaking wet.

“What happened?” Liam asked, watching as Harry latched onto the two lost boys in relief, Niall sobbing openly while Louis looked at them a little scared and eyes red and puffy as he pulled away from Harry’s tight grip.

“We were following the pretty flowers and suddenly we were here,” Louis shrugged, his tone shaky as he looked at Zayn and Liam.

Harry sniffled and pulled away from the shaking Irish boy, the front of his shirt now wet. Liam stepped forward as Niall continued to cry, hiccuping from the cold and complaining about his wet clothes. Zayn was looking around with a frown, tugging at the bottom of Liam’s shirt.

“We should go, it’s getting dark,” Zayn mumbled, gripping Liam’s hand tightly as he turned to look at the group again.

They all nodded and started making their way towards the park again, taking a few wrong turns along the way and Niall tripping over a large branch and scraping his knees and hands in the process so Liam being the nice friend, he gave the Irish boy a piggyback ride until they reached the park where they could hear the girls and Greg calling their names.

“Found them!” Ruth called out and the kids ran over to the smaller ones, Greg’s eyes widening at the state of his little brother.

“What happened?” Greg asked as he knelt down in front of Niall who was still hiccuping and his scratches were bleeding a bit, clothes wet in most places and leaves sticking to his hair.

“We got lost and Ni fell in the creek, but the guys found us!” Louis explained, holding Harry’s hand tightly as he looked at the older ones who were supposed to be in charge but instead were off gossiping or in Greg’s case, with his friends.

“Well let’s get you back before Niall gets sick,” Gemma spoke up, earning nods from the others.

Greg picked up his little brother with ease and felt the little boy cling to him as they began to walk towards the moms who were packing their things so they could go home. Maura spotted them first and she smiled until she saw Niall in Greg’s arms and the leaves sticking to all of the little ones hair. She quickly approached her two sons and took her youngest into her arms, setting him on her hip as she fretted over him.

“What happened to you kids?” Maura asked them, removing a twig from Niall’s brown hair.

“We got lost, Ma,” Louis pouted as he looked up at Maura with sad blue eyes.

“Oh boys, I told you not to wander off on your own. Now come on, we’re leaving. Are you okay baby boy?”

“C-Cold,” Niall hiccuped, trying to cuddle closer to his mom for some warmth.

The moms all gathered their children and headed towards the cars, Maura setting Niall in the back seat with Louis and Harry who would staying over with the Irish family. Niall had dried up blood on his knees and dirt covered his cheeks. Louis was biting his bottom lip, feeling a bit guilty about today’s events. It had never been his intention to get lost or for Niall to get hurt and even though he wasn’t the one who pushed Niall or anything, he felt guilty because his best friend had been sad, scared and in pain.

“S not your fault, Lou,” Niall told his best friend, turning his head to peck Louis’s cheek softly.

Once at home, Maura ushered the kids inside and Niall and Louis towards the bathroom so they could clean themselves up a bit. She walked in with clean pajamas and disinfected any cuts they had. Louis was still a bit sad, but eventually she got him to laugh at something while Niall struggled to pull his shirt over his head, his arms getting stuck in the sleeves. Louis giggled as he sat on the toilet, all done and hair brushed to get rid of tangles and any other leaves that could still be hidden in there. Maura laughed at her son gently before helping him out, his face red and an adorable pout on his face.

“All done boys, you can go downstairs so I can give you kids something to eat, I’m sure you’re hungry,” she told them, collecting their dirty clothes and throwing them in the hamper in the corner of the bathroom.

“Okay mommy!” Niall giggled before taking Louis’ hand and dragging him downstairs where they found Harry with Liam and Zayn while the moms were in the kitchen talking about random things. “You’re here!”

“Hi!” Zayn waved at the two boys with a smile, letting out a soft groan when Niall threw himself on top of him. Louis followed next, landing half on Harry and half on Liam as they all giggled and rolled around on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really tempted to title this Out Of The Woods, but then I thought better of it and I do actually like Taylor's music so please no hate.
> 
> So the History video finally came out and yes, I did cry. Pillowtalk is a great song, but I don't like the video, sorry not sorry. Also Freddie is such a cutie and I'm sick tired of hearing the amount of bullshit that's going around. That poor child has done nothing wrong and I'm truly disgusted with how some "fans" keep thinking he's fake.


	14. My Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No cause Rex saved Louis and me!” Niall smiled at his father and pointed down at the tired dog who didn’t even glance up at them.

_There goes my hero_   
_Watch him as he goes_   
_There goes my hero_   
_He's ordinary ~ My Hero; Foo Fighters_

It was a sunny day in June, the kids being done with another school year and they were all hanging out at Niall’s house for the day playing in the backyard. Niall was dressed in a Cinderella dress and Louis in a Sleeping Beauty one complete with the tiaras as they sat around having a tea party with their three princes. There was a blanket spread out on the grass underneath them with teacups and plates of cookies.

“Would you like more tea, sir?” Niall asked Liam with a giggle.

“I’d be delighted,” Liam responded as he held out his teacup.

Louis giggled as he took a sip of his and grabbed another cookie from the plate. Harry and Zayn were talking about something that he didn’t care about. They were all enjoying their day, Greg being out with Bobby while Maura and Jay were inside with Lottie. The sun was high up in the sky, a few fluffy clouds splattered across the sky and the trees swayed with a gentle breeze as the birds chirped happily. Nothing could ruin their day.

Or so they thought.

They heard a dog bark inside the house and both Niall and Louis froze in their spots, turning to look at the glass back door giving them view of Greg and a dog.

“I don’t like dogs,” Niall gulped, earning a squeak of agreement from Louis.

The other three were sitting up straight now, ready to protect their princesses from the mysterious dog. The back door opened and they all froze as the dog’s barking got louder and Greg stepped out with a golden retriever hot on his heels.

“Greg!” Niall cried, clinging to the back of Liam’s shirt as the dog approached them in curiosity.

“What?” Greg smiled innocently as he knelt down to pet his new dog. “This is Rex, dad got him for us.”

“Bobby knows I hate dogs,” Niall mumbled, still refusing to call the man anything other than Bobby after him not showing up at the child’s birthday party a year ago.

“Well too bad, twerp.”

Niall frowned while the three older boys glared Greg while shielding Louis and Niall. Greg left shortly after with Rex following him and the two younger boys sighed in relief as they went back to playing with their little tea party. 

“Why don’t you like dogs?” Harry asked the two boys curiously.

“One bit me back in Ireland,” Niall mumbled, staring down at his half empty tea cup.

“I just don’t like them,” Louis sassed as he grabbed another cookie.

“Well I’m sure Rex is a very nice dog and wouldn’t ever hurt you,” Liam told the two boys while Zayn and Harry nodded in agreement.

It was the next day when they were at the park with Anne and Maura, all five kids plus Greg and Gemma and Rex. They were all playing happily, Rex running around with Gemma and Greg chasing him while the younger kids were in the playground. Louis and Niall were off in their own world playing around in the sand while the other three ran around with two other kids.

“Have you seen Bobby?” Louis asked Niall who was taking off his shoes and socks.

“Nope. Ni don’t like Bobby no more,” Niall shrugged indifferently, too busy playing to look up at his friend.

The two were too busy laughing to see a man approach them until he squatted down in front of the two. The boys looked up and shrunk back, a bit afraid as the man simply smiled at the two.

“Hi there boys, why so lonely? You two pretty things shouldn’t be all alone,” the guy spoke, reaching a hand out to touch Niall, but the Irish little boy moved back with Louis with wide blue eyes. “Don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you.”

“Our mommies said not to talk to strangers,” Louis spoke with a frown, moving closer to Niall and both making sure to keep their distance from the creepy guy.

“But I’m not a stranger, I actually know your mommies,” the guy lied, the smile still on his lips and only getting wider when the two boys looked at him curiously.

“Really? How come we’ve never seen you? Mommy would have said something,” Niall stated.

The guy merely shrugged and continued talking to the two boys, trying to gain their confidence. Niall was on the verge of tears though and Louis was looking around, trying to see if one of his boys was paying attention or something. They weren’t though and they were too far away for Lou to call them casually.

“You boys want ice cream? Any toppings you want, just ask,” the guy smiled as he continued to try.

“Nope, we can’t because then mommy will get mad,” Louis told him with an eyebrow raised, lifting the shovel he’d been using and scooping some sand up, ready to throw it just in case.

“Oh come on, I already said I was your mommy’s friend.”

Niall shook his head frantically and went to get up, but the guy gripped his tiny wrist tightly which made him cry out. Louis threw the sand at the guy and began to hit him with the shovel, but he was shoved to the ground. Louis cried out, but went over to help his best friend away from the creepy guy.

“Oh no, I tried to be nice but you’ve left me no choice,” the guy told the two, grabbing Louis’ arm and throwing him over his shoulder while Niall cried for help.

“Let us go you big meanie!” Louis cried, hitting the stranger’s back with his tiny fists though it only made the guy laugh as the hits did nothing.

“Shut up you little brats, I tried to be nice to you but you’ve made me lose all of my patience,” the man growled, struggling with Niall who was digging the heels of his shoes into the grass and crying out to catch someone’s attention.

Suddenly there was loud angry barking and Rex ran over to them, barking at the stranger that was hurting his two boys. Niall, forgetting his fear of dogs, had never been so happy to see Greg’s annoying dog. Louis by then was starting to pull at the man’s long black hair. Rex began to growl at the man, scratching at his legs and barking to get someone else’s attention.

“Get away you stupid dog and shut up, you’re going to cause a scene,” the man hissed at the dog who only continued to bark and jump at him.

“Hey, let them go!” Greg shouted as he ran over to his dog and the man that was hurting the two little boys.

“G-Greg!” Niall sobbed as he reached an arm out for his big brother.

“You big meanie! Let our friends go!” Harry, Liam and Zayn shouted as they ran over to help Greg kick the guy’s butt.

Greg managed to catch Louis when the guy dropped him as Rex continued to bark and bite at the man’s legs, scratching his arm until he let the little blonde boy go as well. Niall was crying pretty hard, Greg fearing his little brother would get an asthma attack.

Anne had called the police as soon as Rex had started barking and Maura ran over to them worriedly, pulling both of the crying boys into her arms watching as the others attacked the guy until the police arrived to take him away.

“M-Mommy,” Niall sobbed, holding his mother tightly with one hand and Louis with the other.

“Shh, it’s okay boys, he’s gone now,” Maura cooed as she hugged them tightly.

The police took the guy away and the other three boys hugged their shaking friends tightly while Rex looked at them and nosed at their legs, whimpering as he did. Niall sniffled and wiped away his tears before bending down to hug Rex and the dog cuddled into him, his tail wagging excitedly and licked at the little boy’s cheek which made him giggle and the others laugh. Louis too leaned down to hug the dog while Greg smiled and rolled his eyes. He knew they’d eventually like Rex.

They went home right after that, Niall and Louis still shaken up after what happened and Rex refused to leave their side. Maura and Anne had called Jay to tell her what had happened and so all five moms were in the Horan’s kitchen talking and with cups of tea in their hands.

“Ni and Lou okay?” Harry asked timidly.

“Yeah,” Louis nodded, looking over at the Irish lad who was staring down at the hand shaped bruise on his arm. Louis leaned over and placed a soft kiss to it which made Niall giggle quietly and the others smile. They’d be okay eventually.

The next day Niall was laying on the living room, resting his head on Rex’s body as the dog curled around him. The TV was playing on some cartoon show though really Niall was half asleep as his mom cooked dinner and Greg was probably still asleep. Suddenly the front door opened and Bobby appeared above Niall which caused Rex to bark out in alarm but calmed down once he recognized who he was.

“Bobby!” Niall cried, getting up and launching himself at his father who caught his youngest son easily and held him tightly.

“Oh my boy, are you okay? He didn’t hurt you too much, did he?” Bobby asked as he pulled Niall away from his chest to check for injuries but only found the one bruise.

“No cause Rex saved Louis and me!” Niall smiled at his father and pointed down at the tired dog who didn’t even glance up at them.

“So you see? Rex is a good dog and there’s no reason to be afraid of him, right?’

“Right. Rex is a good doggie,” Niall yawned, cuddling into his father and completely forgetting about his anger towards the man as Bobby began to walk towards the kitchen where Maura greeted him.

“Why was Rex barking?” Greg mumbled tiredly as he walked in a minute later, rubbing his eyes and hair sticking in every direction. “Oh, hey dad.”

“Rex is just being overprotective of Ni,” Bobby answered, setting his youngest son down on the floor.

“Boys, breakfast is ready,” Maura told the two as she placed their plates on the table. “Bob, do you want some?”

“No, I’m running late for work already and I just wanted to see how the boys were.”

“Alright.”

Bobby left and later that day, Louis was over because his mommy had to take Lottie to a doctor’s appointment so Maura was watching him. The two boys were curled up on the living room floor with Rex and fast asleep, still tired from yesterday’s events and all Maura could do was coo at them. She’s just glad that the boys are okay and nothing too serious happened yesterday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just finished this chapter yesterday and so I'm sorry it's short and shitty but at least it's an update.


	15. Jealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You don’t like anyone who gets too close to Ni,” Harry stated with a bored expression. It’s not that Harry didn’t care, it’s just that Harry didn’t have that weird possessive behavior towards the Irish boy like Louis did.

They’re in second grade now and still as close as before. Niall and Louis don’t wear tiaras as much as they used to, but have settled for more bows and sparkly headbands. They still wear their tutus and dress up like princesses every now and then. Niall’s relationship with Bobby hasn’t gotten better, but he still sees his dad at least three times a month. Things are just going great.

“Do you think girls have cooties?” Louis asked his blonde friend one day when it was just them two at Louis’ house one afternoon.

“No, but I don’t like girls. They scare me a bit. Remember when Beth tried to kiss me last week? It was gross,” Niall shuddered, making Louis giggle but he remembers glaring daggers at Beth for wanting to kiss his best friend.

“She told me she wanted to be your girlfriend.”

“Eww!”

“But I told her I was your boyfriend and she got angry with me,” Louis shrugged, going back to coloring in his Barbie book. Niall giggled at the word boyfriend, but leaned over and kissed Louis’ cheek. “You will be my boyfriend, right?”

“Right,” Niall blushed and went back to coloring.

The next day at school, Niall and Louis walked into their classroom holding hands as they greeted their other three best friends. They talked until the bell rang and Louis and Niall pecked each other’s cheeks before heading off to their seats, which were unfortunately in different sides of the room. This was the first year where their teacher assigned them seats and Niall sat close to the front with Zayn two seats behind him, Liam sat in the middle all alone and Harry sat in the back with Louis. It was hard for the five to be away from each other, but agreed that it was for the best because it made talking to each other during recess more exciting and they have actually fought a lot less.

“Kids, we have a new student today! Why don’t you say hi to Josh, class,” their teacher, Mrs. Green, told them with an excited smile.

“Hi Josh!” They all greeted with smiles.

“Alright Josh, you can go sit right next Niall. Ni, can you raise your hand buddy?”

 

Niall did as he was told and waved at Josh who smiled back at him and waved before sitting to Niall’s left. For that day’s activity, Mrs.Green warned them saying there could only be two per team and so Niall offered to be Josh’s partner, something that had Louis pouting because he wanted to be with his boy.

“You’re funny,” Niall giggled after Josh had finished telling a joke and the new kid smiled.

“And you’re pretty,” Josh confessed quietly, cheeks going pink as he lowered his gaze down to his desk while Niall did the same.

“I don’t like him,” Louis pouted at Harry who rolled his eyes and pushed a curl away from his face.

“You don’t like anyone who gets too close to Ni,” Harry stated with a bored expression. It’s not that Harry didn’t care, it’s just that Harry didn’t have that weird possessive behavior towards the Irish boy like Louis did.

“You’re only mad because Beth likes Niall and not you,” Louis argued, going back to finishing their activity.

“So? Ni knew I liked Beth and he almost let her kiss him.”

“Almost, curly. Ni doesn’t like girls and besides, I’m his boyfriend,” Louis stated proudly, making Harry cough as he almost choked on his spit.

“Eww, you guys kiss like mommies and daddies?” Harry questioned with a frown.

“Eww, no, silly.”

By lunch time, Niall was glued back to Louis’ side and the others accepted Josh into their little circle with open arms, even Louis since Niall was back to holding his hand. They were all laughing with Josh and joking around as they ate. Outside, they ran around together kicking a ball back and forth between them. And everything was fine, Niall playing in Josh and Harry’s team while the other three were in their own team. Josh scored the winning goal and Niall ran up to hug him and kissed his cheek which made Louis angry as he huffed and kicked the ball which was in front of him and it hit Niall on his head.

“Ouch!” Niall cried out, tears springing to his eyes as he turned to find who had done it and his blue eyes connected with Louis’ guilty ones. “You’re a big meanie! Why’d you hit me?”

“That was mean, Lou,” Harry scolded his friend who huffed stubbornly and refused to meet their eyes.

“Well I’m not sorry,” Louis stated, arms crossed against his chest.

Niall let out a small hiccup and said, “Then I’m not your boyfriend anymore.”

Louis let out a dramatic gasp. “Fine. Cause I don’t want to be your boyfriend anyways. You’re ugly and have cooties like girls.”

With that being said, Louis walked away leaving behind a shocked and hurt Niall. The poor thing didn’t know which hurt worse, the soccer ball hitting his head or Louis saying all of those things. The bell rang before Niall had a proper time to react to everything and Harry and Zayn held his hands as they walked the shocked child back into the classroom.

“Are you okay?” Zayn asked worriedly, brushing back Niall’s hair and fixing the headband he’d been wearing.

“My head hurts a little,” Niall sniffled, still fighting back tears as he let Zayn’s tan fingers work through his hair and flinched when he found his sore spot.

“You have a little bump. Want me to get Mrs.Green so we can get you ice?”

“No ice, Ni is good.”

No Ni was not good because the boys had learned that Niall now only talked in third person when he was either upset or hurt and in this case, it was both. Zayn went back to his desk and sat down reluctantly and both him and Josh kept their eyes on Niall who still looked really down about what had happened.

Once school ended, Niall grabbed his backpack and all but ran outside, tears already falling from his eyes. He found his mom standing there with Anne and Jay and he ran towards her.

“Mommy!” Niall sobbed, making Maura pick up her son and hold him worriedly.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Maura asked as she rocked her son, hoping to calm him down.

“L-Lou!” Niall sobbed, clinging to his mother and then bringing a hand up to the back of his head and winced. “Hurts momma!”

“Boys, do you know what happened to Niall?” Anne asked the other four who had now reached their mothers, Louis still glaring at nothing in particular.

“Louis Tomlinson, did you do something?” Jay asked her son who avoided her gaze.

“It was an accident though,” Louis whined, finally giving in to the stares from his other friends.

“But you called him ugly and said he had cooties, that wasn't an accident,” Harry mumbled with a huff, going over to hold his mom’s hand.

“Tattle tale!”

“Louis William Tomlinson, what have I said about saying mean things? Especially to your friends,” Jay demanded angrily.

“He hit me with a soccer ball too,” Niall finally spoke up, hand still rubbing at the bump in his head.

“I said that was an accident. I didn't mean to hit you, only wanted to hit Josh,” Louis grumbled.

“Louis, I get that it was an accident that you hit Ni, but wanting to hit someone else is not right. No matter what the other person said or did. We clear?” Jay scolder her son angrily.

“Clear.”

“Now apologize to Ni.”

“I'm sorry Niall, for hitting you with the soccer ball and calling you ugly,” Louis mumbled, not looking up at the blonde who whimpered.

“O-Okay, mommy, I wanna go home. My head hurts,” Niall mumbled, cuddling into Maura and ignoring his friends.

Niall was sad throughout the day and Rex was glued to the little boy, hoping to get a smile out of him but the child simply sat and watched the TV with a pout and absentmindedly stroking Rex’s fur.

“Alright princess, what’s up? Why are you so sad?” Maura asked her child as she sat next to him on the couch.

“Louis doesn’t want to be my boyfriend anymore cause he said I’m ugly,” Niall mumbled sadly, looking up at his mom with watery blue eyes and bottom lip jutted out.

“Wait, what? Louis was your boyfriend?”

“Yeah. He told Beth because she wanted to kiss me and Louis told her he was my boyfriend and then he asked me and I said yes, but now I don’t want to because he called me ugly.”

“Baby, I hope you know that you are not ugly. You are the cutest and I’m sure Louis will come around eventually yeah?”

The next day at school Louis is still ignoring Niall and the tiny Irish lad sits sadly in his desk all through the morning and by lunchtime, he sits alone at an empty table until Josh sits next to him with a kind smile and offers to share his brownies.

“Don’t be sad Ni, you’re a lot pretty with a smile,” Josh said, reaching over to poke the child’s cheek and that caused him to giggle.

During recess, Niall sat and watched his friends play while sitting on a bench. Josh was off with other kids and the others were running around until Louis sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry,” Louis suddenly whispered, placing his hand hesitantly on top of Niall’s.

“You should be,” Niall huffed, removing his hand from under Louis’. “It hurt a lot.”

“I didn’t mean too, but I don’t like Josh. He tried to take you from me,” Louis pouted and that made Niall giggle quietly into his hand.

“You’re silly, no one will take me from you or the boys,” Niall grinned, pressing a quick peck to Louis’ cheek.

“So you still wanna be my boyfriend? You’re really pretty and I’ll give you lots and lots of kisses!”

Niall thought about it for a bit, wanting to tease his friend until Louis began to whine and Niall nodded excitedly.

“Yay!” Louis cheered, throwing his arms around the child and hugging him tightly.

Niall giggled and the other three boys approached them with smiles.

“Everything okay now?” Liam asked with a smile, standing in between Harry and Zayn as they all looked at their two happy princesses.

“Perfect! Ni’s my boyfriend again and he doesn’t have cooties and he’s very pretty. He’s the prettiest boy I’ve ever seen!” Louis gushed, making Niall blush and the other three to coo and nod in agreement.

“I’m still mad at you though,” Harry huffed as he looked at Niall once the group of friends sat around their two princesses.

“What for?” Niall asked a bit sadly.

“Because Beth likes you more than me!”

“But Ni is my boyfriend, not hers!” Louis defended his Irish friend who seemed to shock to move.

“Doesn’t matter though because she likes him!”

“Harry, you need to stop,” Liam warned his friend a bit angrily.

“It’s not my fault Beth likes me more than you. And it’s also not my fault she won’t talk to you,” Niall huffed, crossing his small arms across his chest and turning to look away from Harry.

“Whatever,” Harry mumbled.

“Talk to me when you’re sorry,” said Niall before he walked off, followed by Louis while Liam and Zayn stayed back with Harry who was feeling guilty.

“Why do you care so much about Beth?” Zayn spat out angrily.

“Because she’s pretty and funny and I really like her,” Harry spoke. “But I also like Ni, more than Beth, and I don’t want to lose him for something silly.”

“Well then you should go say you’re sorry. Besides, Ni has Lou and he doesn’t like Beth, he thinks she’s gross. So do I,” Liam shrugged.

It was after school when Harry, all shy and nervous, approached Niall who was putting his books in his backpack before heading out to find the others.

“Ni, I’m sorry,” Harry spoke nervously as he stared at his blue eyed Irish friend.

Niall looked up at Harry with narrowed eyes before nodding. “I forgive you, only cause you’re my best friend and I love you.”

“Thank you!” Harry squealed and hugged Niall tightly, making the younger boy giggle and hug him back.

“Hey, he’s mine,” Louis pouted as he walked into the room searching for the two.

“Well he’s my friend,” Harry argued back, tightening his hold on Niall and looking at Louis with a smirk.

“Ugh boys,” Niall mumbled before pushing Harry away, grabbed his backpack and headed outside with Liam and Zayn.

“Everything okay between you and Haz?” Zayn asked as he wrapped an arm around his Irish princess’ shoulders.

“Yep! He apologized and I forgive him because he’s my best friend,” Niall grinned at Zayn who grinned back.

Louis and Harry walked out seconds later, the five heading out to the parking lot where Jay was waiting for them with Lottie standing next to her whining about something. Louis held Niall’s hand and the two skipped over to Jay with large smiles.

“Mommy, Ni’s my boyfriend again!” Louis told his mom, jumping in place and looking at Niall who was also smiling wide.

“Well that’s wonderful! I’m glad you two aren’t mad at each other anymore,” Jay said as she opened the back doors for the kids to climb in.

Once in the car, Niall leaned over and kissed Louis’ cheek softly and then bursting into giggles as Louis blushed. The other three boys awed and giggled as well, Lottie completely ignoring them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took me like a billion years and it's short and awful, but it's something and I promise to eventually finish this. But aye, they're growing up fam!!


	16. Sad Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg was out with their grandpa and Niall wasn’t in the mood to do anything but glare at the Christmas tree that was surrounded by dozens of presents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what's back!! With a very late Christmas chapter, oops.

Niall was not having a good Christmas.

He wasn’t spending it with his friends this year and instead was in Ireland with his mom and brother. Sure he was happy to see his family and the place where he was born again, but he’d never been away from his boys for so long. And yeah he missed Bobby too, even if he barely saw his dad. Bobby had to stay back because work wouldn’t let him take time off, so he’d stayed back in London with Rex, their dog.

“Sweetie, we’ll be back soon and you’ll see them again,” Maura told her youngest son in a comforting manner as she held the pouty seven year old.

“But Lou and I won’t share our birthday like every year,” Niall whined, tugging the sleeves of his jacket over his hands.

“I know sweetie, but don’t you wanna see your grandma and grandpa and your cousins? They’ve all missed you a lot.”

Niall only shrugged and Maura sighed as she went to go help her mom in the kitchen. Greg was out with their grandpa and Niall wasn’t in the mood to do anything but glare at the Christmas tree that was surrounded by dozens of presents. Niall missed their tree back home that had his boys presents under it. He missed being home.

“He really misses his friends, doesn’t he?” Maura’s mother told her with a sad sigh, not liking seeing her grandkid so sad on his favorite holiday.

“He’s really grown close to them and I’m sure they’re just as sad without him.”

*

“I really really miss Ni,” Louis pouted as he slumped forward in his seat with an over dramatic sigh leaving his lips.

“Me too,” the other three boys chorused, all just as sad and Harry looking like he’s going to burst into tears in no time.

“Boys, you can’t be this sad. He’ll be back after New Year’s and then you can all hang out together. He’ll be here in a week,” Anne told them with a soft smile on her lips.

“But we want him now!” Louis whined, bottom lip trembling.

The boys didn’t really understand why it felt like a piece of their heart was missing, like there was this empty space inside of them that couldn’t be filled no matter how many presents they opened or how much food they ate. They needed their fifth partner in crime, they needed their Irish princess with them and the days were stretching on and on. Louis’ birthday hadn’t been the same without his Niall there. He wanted Niall there.

“How do you think he is? Is he happy he’s seeing his family again after so long?” Liam asked curiously as they sat around with the wrapping paper laying around the living room and Lottie running around with Gemma and one of Zayn’s sisters.

“Don’t think so, he said he didn’t want to go, remember?” Harry pointed out as he grabbed a red bow and turned to place it on Louis’ head, giggling at him.

The rest of Christmas goes by without a hitch, but five boys are pouting and miserable and it doesn’t feel much like Christmas to them. Before the day ends, Niall gets to call his boys who are all still at Harry’s house where they celebrated the day.

“Ni! Hi!” The boys cheered over the phone.

"Hi!" Niall greeted back excitedly. "Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas to you too. We miss you lots, Ni," Louis spoke sadly and Niall smiled softly as he could practically see Louis pouting with his big blue eyes filling up with tears.

"I miss you too, a lot. Is not the same without you."

"Awe, Ni," Liam's voice sounded next, feeling sadder at how sad his best friend sound over the phone. He really wishes they weren't miles away from each other so he could give Niall a big hug and cuddle him until he felt better. Unfortunately though that was the main reason for Niall's sadness.

"How's Ireland? Is it pretty?" Zayn asked curiously, trying to keep things light and make his friends see the good in it. Well mostly Niall, he wanted his little Irish princess to enjoy his country.

"It's very pretty, wish you could see it though."

"Maybe someday, Ni-boo. When you get back you can tell us all about it, yeah?" Harry suggested with a large grin on his face.

"Okay!" Niall giggled.

The five talked for a few more minutes until they had to say goodbye and Niall was left feeling empty again and he just wanted the ugly feeling to go away. Maura watched her son who brightened up a bit as he played with his cousins, but then bedtime arrived and Niall was a mess. He was crying and asking for his boys and no amount of comforting words could get him to calm down. Eventually he fell asleep, exhausted from crying and settled into a fitful sleep. Maura headed back downstairs where her parents were at with cups of tea in their hands and she sat with them.

"That poor boy, hate to see him like this," Maura's father spoke as he shook his head and took a sip of the hot liquid and making a face as it burned his throat.

"I know and I don't know what's going to happen when Bobby's work has to bring him back. They said it was only temporary his relocation to London, but since it's been five years, I'm guessing they won't bring him back," Maura explained.

"So you would follow your ex husband back here if needed? Why aren't you thinking about those kids, Maura?" Her mom asked in a slightly angry tone as she looked at her daughter in disbelief.

"I am thinking about them."

"How? Niall is broken about missing his friends and you're thinking about moving back here with them if needed just because of Bobby's work?"

"Well I can't tear them away from their father either. Bobby has a right too."

"Yeah and how come he didn't call to wish them a merry Christmas? Or why didn't he show up to Niall's birthday party that one year? Or why did he forget about the boys after the divorce? Maura, Niall doesn't even call him dad, do you really think he's going to miss Bobby as much as he misses his friends?" Maura's dad pointed with a look that had Maura caving in.

"I know, but I also know Bobby and I know he wouldn't want us to stay in London. Look, I'll just cross that bridge if we get there."

*

Spending his birthday in Ireland sure is a whole different experience. One that he's actually enjoying more than he thought he would. Of course he's still a little bummed out, mostly because Bobby hasn't called, but he's having fun with his mom's family. They show him around town, take him to a diner for a celebratory breakfast where they add a few candles to his pancakes and he's the center of attention this time, not sharing the spotlight with Louis like always and it's different, weird almost, but refreshing. Niall seems to forget about his boys during his busy day, but then they're at home where he's opened a few presents (not too much because Christmas tends to ruin his birthday with the shared presents) and after he's done he's sad again and he's focused on the emptiness.

"Sweetie, phone call from someone very special," Maura smiled as she walked into the living room with the house phone.

Niall perked up a bit as he took the phone and greeted whoever was on the line.

"Happy birthday, princess!" His four boys shout and then start singing, a bit all over the place with Harry serving as some sort of echo but it makes Niall laugh and enjoy it, cherish every second of it.

"Thank you!" Niall told them with a large grin, noticing that he was alone in the room.

"You're very welcome Ni, besides, you're almost home!" Louis cheered.

"My mommy says you'll be home in five days," Zayn speaks up next and Liam replies with a 'my mommy told me that too!'.

"Yes and then we get to cuddle and I'll give you plenty of hugs and kisses!" Niall declared.

"Yay, Ni cuddles! We've missed having Ni cuddles," Louis says. "Many kisses to my boyfriend!"

Niall giggled and blushed at the word. 

"Yes! Kisses to our boyfriend!" The others chorused as they began to make kissing sounds through the phone.

Somewhere along the way the five became boyfriends and at first Louis had been a bit put off with having to share his boyfriend, but now he was happy because he got more kisses too.

"I gotta go, my mommy says I gotta take a shower, but I'll see you soon!" Niall told them, calming down their whining that had started after he announced his goodbye.

"Bye Ni-boo!"

The line went dead and Niall sighed before going off to find his mom and give her the phone.

Bobby called Niall the next day to wish him a happy birthday that Niall reminded him was yesterday and all Bobby had said was that he was busy. Bobby had promised that Niall's present was waiting for him for when he returned and Niall really wanted to believe his dad, but the man forgot his birthday last year too.

The days moved on painfully slow and Niall was anxious to get home. He wanted to see his boys again. And as much as he loved seeing his family again, Niall was itching to get home. It was the day after New Years when Maura and her two boys were on their way back to London after a teary goodbye.

"Mommy, how much longer?" Niall asked as he stared out the window into the sea of clouds.

"Less than an hour, sweetie," Maura replied, not even looking up from the book she was reading as her youngest son pouted and Greg chuckled as he shook his head.

Niall dozed off for a bit and before he knew it, they were getting ready to land. As Maura buckled Niall's seat belt, the boy simply grinned excitedly at begin closer to seeing his friends again.

Maura had a hard time getting Niall to stand still as they walked off the plane and went to grab their bags. Anne was waiting for them with Harry, both wearing large smiles and Niall squealed before running off to hug his friend.

"Ni!" Harry yelled excitedly as he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.

"Hazzy!" Niall giggled and buried his face into the crook of Harry's neck.

"You’re finally back! I’ve missed you so much, Niall,” Harry grinned as he pulled away from the hug to look at Niall who was blushing and smiling wide as his blue eyes sparkled up at Harry.

“I’ve missed you too!” Niall giggled, kissing Harry’s chubby cheeks,

“Boys, come on, we don’t want you to get lost,” Anne smiled at them with Maura standing next to her, both watching the two kids.

Harry and Niall held hands as they skipped after their moms and Greg to get the luggage. The two boys giggled happily and Harry went on and on about how much Liam, Zayn and Louis missed him and how they were probably back waiting for him impatiently. And the ride home is long and Niall really really has to use the bathroom and of course he won’t tell his mom and Anne because he wants to get home to his boys.

“Alright, welcome home!” Anne exclaimed as she pulled up into the Horan’s driveway.

“Yes!” Niall cheered.

Waiting inside were his boys and their moms with a ‘Welcome Home’ banner and balloons. Once Niall stepped foot in his house, he stopped and stared at his boys for a bit before running at them and hugging them tight as they all shouted his name repeatedly in excitement. Harry walked in as well and joined their hug, Anne, Maura and Greg walking into the house and Maura greeting the other moms.

“Happy late Christmas!” Louis shouted as he dragged Niall towards the living room where the Christmas tree was still up and presents were still around it.

“And happy late birthday,” Liam added with a grin as they all sat around the tree and handed Niall his presents.

Niall smiled and opened the presents that his boys handed him. He was smiling wide, thanking them all for his gifts. He got a new Hello Kitty plushie from Louis, some pretty nail polish with sparkles in them from Harry, some coloring books from Zayn and a brown teddy bear from Liam. Niall opened his arms and laughed when they all tackled Niall to the ground in a group hug.

“We missed you so much, Ni! I’m glad you’re back,” Louis spoke as he cuddled into Niall and kissed his cheek.

“Missed you to,” Niall told them with a large smile on his face as they all pressed kisses to his cheeks.

Later that night, it was just Niall and Liam left, the others already at home and not able to sleepover, but Liam’s parents were having a date night so that’s how the boy ended up at Niall’s.

“Have you seen Bobby?” Liam asked the blue eyed boy as they got ready for bed.

“No. And he didn’t call me on my birthday until the next day,” Niall shrugged, not wanting to talk about his father and even though Niall did love Bobby, he was just tired of always being hurt by the man. He didn’t like being forgotten by his dad and he knew Greg didn’t like it either.

Liam smiled sadly over at his friend and went over to hug him tight, peppering his face with little kisses that had Niall giggling in no time as he squirmed, struggling to get away from Liam’s hold. Liam laughed too and pressed on final peck to Niall’s lips which caught them both by surprise, leaving them blushing as they pulled away and finished getting ready. They snuck quick glances at each other, the blush still on their cheeks.

Niall didn’t know what he would do without his friends. He truly did love them all, and maybe he still didn’t understand how much. All he knew was that his heart fluttered at the sight of them and he felt so so happy around them, feeling anxious and sad when he was away. And in time, he would find out just how much they all meant to him, but for now he was happy with the being ‘boyfriends’ and small little kisses they shared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's probably one or two more chapters left and yes, there will be a sequel. Gonna be short, maybe no more than ten chapters because I've already taken far too long with this story. But again, sorry for the very long wait and yes this chapter was short and kind of crappy, but after not focusing on this story for a long time, I have no clue what the hell I'm doing.


	17. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Niall’s final day of school in London and he’s been down all day, the boys have noticed but don’t know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, don't hate me after this ;-;

At nine years old things were starting to change. 

Bobby was spending more and more time with Greg and Niall. Maura was acting a bit weird, but neither boy really wanted to know why. She worked more, often taking the night shift and leaving the boys to spend the night with their dad.

*

“So you’re staying at Bobby’s?” Louis asked his best friend in surprise during their lunch break one Wednesday.

“Yeah and he’s being really weird and so is my mommy. She works a lot now and Bobby takes care of Greg and me,” Niall explained as he opened his packet of chips.

“Everything okay with you and Bobby now?” Harry questioned curiously as he bit into his ham and cheese sandwich.

“A bit. I mean, he’s trying and we see him a lot more.”

After school ended, Niall wasn’t even surprised to find Bobby waiting for him. He just simply sighed and said goodbye to his friends and Anne who was picking up the others. Greg had soccer practice after school so it was just Bobby and Niall for a bit and boy was it awkward. They didn’t talk much, just Bobby asking Niall how school went and Niall replying with as much short sentences as he could. It’s not that Niall didn’t love his dad, but the man hasn’t exactly been around much since the divorce and all of a sudden he’s trying to be dad of the year and Niall didn’t like the sudden change.

“What time is Greg getting home?” Niall asked Bobby, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

“At around six, why is that kiddo?” Bobby questioned his youngest curiously because Niall and Greg have never been close.

“Miss him,” Niall shrugged in response. “And I miss mommy too and my room.”

“Oh.”

Once at Bobby’s, Niall headed to his room and sighed as he walked inside and placed his backpack near his bed. He didn’t really like this room. It didn’t have the pretty things that his room at his mommy’s house had. All he had was his stuffed animal, Peter, that he’d managed to bring. The covers on the bed were blue and the furniture was a light brown color. It was much too similar to Greg’s room and Bobby didn’t seem to understand that Niall liked different things.

“Niall, what do you want for dinner bud?” Bobby asked an hour later as he poked his head into the room and found the child sitting on the bed hugging his bear but doing absolutely nothing.

“Doesn’t matter,” Niall shrugged. He just wanted his mommy. “Why doesn’t mommy love me anymore?”

Bobby frowned and stepped further into the room, taking a seat across from his youngest child who was looking at him sadly. “Why do you say that, bud?”

“She hasn’t picked me up from school in so long and I barely go home anymore. Most of my clothes are here at your house,” Niall explained as he traced random patterns on the blanket.

“Niall, of course she loves you, she just has to work a lot right now because there aren’t many people at work and sometimes she has to take two shifts. Besides, don’t you want to spend some time here with your old man?”

“I guess.”

Bobby sighed, he guessed it was his own fault for letting his relationship with his sons fall apart and then try to fix it now when the whole situation with Maura was a mess and the boys didn’t know the whole truth.

“I’m gonna go start dinner and I’ll call you down when it’s ready, hopefully Greg will be home by then.”

Niall only nodded and watched his dad leave before curling up on the strange bed. He drifted off to sleep wishing he could be back home with his mommy and things could be normal again. He woke up to Greg shaking his shoulder and saying that dinner was ready. Niall nodded and followed his brother downstairs.

Dinner was silent and awkward. Bobby asked Greg about practice and when the next game was and Greg replied, but other than that no one talked and Niall kept his gaze on his plate. After that Niall headed back upstairs and sat on the bed again with nothing to do. He really missed his boys and it’s been days since he’s last played with them because Bobby doesn’t want them over because he doesn’t have time to watch over them and he doesn’t have time to drop Niall off or pick up Niall at anyone of the boys’ houses.

The next day at school Niall was glad to be back with his boys, even though he hated school now, he only tolerated it because he got to see his boys and it was the only time they were ever together anymore.

“Ni, are you going to Ed’s party on Saturday?” Louis asked as they were doing their math worksheet together, their teacher having allowed the students to work in groups.

“No, Bobby won’t take me and Greg’s got a game,” Niall sighed sadly, erasing the number he’d just written and then writing a different one in. “Besides, I didn’t buy him a present.”

“But you have to go Ni! We’ll miss you a lot if you don’t. And Ed will be sad too cause it’s his party and he invited us first,” Harry stated as he looked at Niall with pleading eyes but the blue eyed boy shook his head.

“Bobby won’t let me.”

And Niall begged his dad later after school to let him go to the party, but Bobby kept saying no even though Greg said that it would do Niall some good to be out of the house and with his friends having fun but still Bobby said no over and over. When Niall kept asking, Bobby had threatened the child to ground him if he wouldn’t shut up.

“Y-You’re so mean! I-I w-want my mommy back!” Niall cried in the backseat of Bobby’s car and Greg sighed from the front seat, glaring at his father who was gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Well she’s not coming back for you!” Bobby shouted in a moment of anger and that shut Niall up for a bit before he burst into loud sobs.

“Nice going Bobby,” Greg hissed and once they reached what they assumed was their new home, he got Niall out of the backseat and lead him inside.

Niall was crying hysterically in his room, struggling to get air into his lungs and Greg searched Niall’s room for his inhaler while he heard his little brother’s painful breathing. He couldn’t find it though and he was scared to think that they would have to call an ambulance again.

“What’s going on here?” Bobby asked worriedly as he ran in, eyes landing on Niall sitting on the floor wheezing and coughing as he cried while Bobby searched for the inhaler.

“Did you not bring Niall’s inhaler, Bobby?” Greg questioned angrily.

“Fuck,” Bobby groaned.

“The one thing that’s important and you forget it, father of the year you are,” Greg spat out as he gave up his search and crouched down next to his baby brother.

So in the end the ambulance was called and Niall was taken to the hospital for a checkup to make sure they wouldn’t need a stronger dose and there they bumped into Maura who looked surprised to see her ex husband and two sons.

“What happened?” She asked worriedly.

“This wouldn’t have happened if you still loved us,” Greg hissed, arms crossed against his chest as he glared at the ground.

“Greg, please sweetie-”

“No mom, I’m tired of whatever you and dad are doing because it seems like neither of you want us. I don’t know what’s going on or why you suddenly had to make us live with Bobby, but you’re both hurting Niall and I.” With that, Greg walked off and Maura sighed and ran a hand down her face tiredly while Bobby just sat there not knowing what else to do.

“He’s right Maura, they deserve to know what’s going on. We need to leave soon and it’d be best if they know now so they can start saying goodbye to their friends,” Bobby said as he looked up at Maura.

“I know Bobby, but I can’t do this to them. It’s going to be extra hard on Niall to say goodbye, but if we want to give us another shot then I need to go with you back to Ireland.”

“We’re what?” Came Greg’s voice and both parents gasped. “We’re leaving again? We have a life here, we can’t just get up and go back simply because you two want to try again.”

“Greg, I need to go back to Ireland because of work and your mother wants to go back as well. Besides, our whole family is there and your Grandma is sick, it’s best if we move back to be near her,” Bobby tried to explain to his fourteen year old son who shook his head. “It’s for the best and hopefully your brother can stop with this little thing of his of having a boyfriend and liking girl things.”

“Bobby!” Maura gasped in surprise, she had no idea that Bobby was still put out by NIall’s choices even though it’s been years now.

“It’s one thing to be okay with it when he’s a child, but he’s nine nearly ten years old, he still shouldn’t be in this phase.”

Maura was about to argue back when the doctor walked out with Niall. After that Maura is the one who took the boys home who were glad to go back home, though Niall was oblivious to the whole fight that had happened in the waiting room. He was tired and just wanted to sleep.

Niall woke up the next morning to Maura stroking his hair and he was curled up in bed with Peter which confused him because Peter had been at Bobby’s.

“Morning sweetie, how are you feeling?” She asked her son quietly.

“I’m tired mommy,” Niall whined, wanting to go back to sleep but she laughed and kept him from doing so.

“I know you must be, but you need to eat breakfast and then you can go back to sleep, yeah?”

“What about school?” Niall asked curiously as he sat up and took Peter with him downstairs, smiling at Rex who was laying in the living room as usual.

“I called you in sick and I know about Ed’s party, so how about if you’re feeling up to it, we can go buy him a present in the afternoon so you can take it to him on Saturday, yeah?”

“You’re letting me go, mommy?! Thank you!” Niall giggled and hugged her tight.

“You’re welcome sweetie, now let’s eat.”

“Don’t eat without me,” Greg complained as he walked down the stairs rubbing at his eyes.

Maura chuckled and sat both boys down, handing them plates with pancakes and sitting down with them with a cup of tea because she’d already eaten. After breakfast Maura sat both boys down in the living room to have a chat with them.

“So is this about what happened yesterday?” Greg asked her, sitting on the ground with Rex.

“About what mommy?”

“Your father is going back to Ireland for work and he wants us to go with him,” Maura explained and Greg frowned.

“I don’t wanna go back to Ireland though,” Niall spoke sadly as he looked at his mom with teary eyes.

“I know sweetheart, but nana’s really sick right now and it’d be best if we go back, but I promise it’ll just be for a little awhile until she gets better, I promise baby.”

“Or until she dies,” Greg mumbled to himself. “So when are we leaving then?”

“Next week.”

*

It’s Niall’s final day of school in London and he’s been down all day, the boys have noticed but don’t know why. They asked Niall but he said he would explain during recess. When recess arrived, Niall sat on a bench with the other four boys around him.

“What’s going on, Ni?” Louis asked quietly, holding Niall’s hands in his.

“I’m moving back to Ireland,” Niall told them eventually, tears already running down his pale cheeks.

“W-What?” Zayn stuttered out as they all looked at Niall in shock and sadness. “But why?”

“Nana is sick and mommy said we would only be gone until she gets better, but Greg thinks she won’t get better.”

“But Ni, y-you can’t leave us!” Louis cried, hugging Niall tightly.

I-I don’t want to leave, b-but Bobby is going too,” Niall sobbed and they all hugged for the remainder of their recess.

“When are you leaving?” Harry asked sadly.

“Tomorrow.”

And tomorrow arrived. Niall was clutching Peter tightly as he looked around his now empty home as they got ready to leave for the airport. The boys arrived with their moms just before they left, all five crying into each other’s arms and Maura’s heart broke at the sight. Anne and Trisha were both wiping away their tears as well, hugging their friend goodbye.

“We’ll be back soon, hopefully,” Maura told her friends. “I don’t want Niall to be away from his friends for too long, but my mom’s really ill and the doctor didn’t give much hope.”

“We’re sorry Maura, but at least keep in touch with us,” Karen told her.

“I will, don’t worry. Boys, we gotta go.”

“B-Bye,” Niall hiccuped as he kissed his boys’ cheeks.

“I-I’ll miss you,” Louis cried brokenly as he hugged Niall tightly one last time, not knowing if he would get to do so ever again.

“M-Me t-too.”

*

“Alright, we’re going back home and things are going to change now,” Bobby told the boys as they waited for their plane to be called.

“You have no right to tell us that,” Greg growled angrily, glaring at his father who sighed.

“I can and I will. Niall, you will learn to be just like a regular boy, no matter girly shit, understood?”

“No,” Niall hiccuped, clutching Peter tightly and leaning into his mom’s side as she wrapped an arm around her youngest son.

“Bobby, we’ve talked about this. Niall, ignore your dad sweetie. I want you to grow up to be who you want to be, okay? Don’t let anyone tell you what’s wrong or right. It’s okay if you don’t like the same things as Greg. It’s okay if you want to have Barbies, okay sweetie? Never change who you are simply because some people don’t like it,” Maura told Niall, directing her last part to Bobby and sending him a glare while Greg mentally cheered his mom on.

Their plane gets called before Bobby can argue and the two lead their children to their new destination.

“Bye,” Niall whispered quietly as he stared out the plain window and tears streamed down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't my absolute favorite because it's short and crappy but I've had it juts sitting in my drive for too long, but instead of writing a sequel, I'm just going to mash it all together and hopefully I can get the next chapter out sooner so you don't hate me for too long
> 
> Spoiler: time skip is coming next


	18. An Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's head was spinning with the new information. It's been six years since Niall left and suddenly he's back and things have changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: from now on, there will be mentions of abuse

**6 Years Later**

“Niall, are your things all packed and ready to go?” Maura asked her now fifteen year old son as she walked into his bedroom, a sad smile on her face.

“Yeah, but why aren’t you going with me?” Niall asked sadly as he set his final bag down on the ground and turned around to face his mother.

“Baby, it’ll only be for a few weeks and then Greg and I will meet you in London. I just really need to get you away from Bobby right now, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” Maura said as she stroked Niall’s bruised cheek lightly, not wanting to hurt him. “When you get to the airport in London, Anne will be there waiting for you okay? You remember how she looks like, right?”

Niall nodded and sighed. He was running back to the only place he’s ever been happy. The past six years have been hell. Bobby completely changed from the person he used to be and Niall never thought he’d be afraid of his own father but the bruises on his pale skin prove his point. Now Maura was sending Niall ahead to London because Greg was still in college right now and Maura couldn’t leave without solving some problems first. And now Niall would be living with the Styles family, people who he hasn’t seen or talked to in years. Despite Maura’s reassurance that they would be back once their nana got better, she died a year after they arrived in Ireland but never returned. Bobby had made it clear that Niall couldn’t stay in touch with his friends because they were bad influences on him. Niall was just glad that now that he was going to be away from Bobby, that he could start being himself again.

“I know you haven’t seen them in years, baby, but I assure you they will be so happy to have you back. I’ll try and call you as much as I can. I promise.”

“Okay.”

*

“Wait, Niall’s coming back?” Harry asked his mom in shock as he watched her prepare the guest room, heart racing in excitement at hearing that his old best friend would be returning to London but didn’t understand why he was arriving alone.

“He is, Haz and he’s going to be staying here with us until Maura or Greg can come to London though Maura isn’t sure when that’ll be. They’re going through some tough times right now as a family and Maura is sending Niall ahead because of some problems that have happened,” Anne explained as best as she could without wanting to alarm her son with the truth.

“I don’t understand. Is Niall hurt?” Harry questioned his mom as he walked over to help her, feeling overprotective of Niall despite the fact that he hasn’t heard from him in six years.

“I can never hide anything from you, can I?” Anne sighed. “Bobby changed a lot sweetie, and Maura is sending Niall back to get him away from his father, as horrible as that sounds.”

“Bobby hurts Niall?”

“It seems so. Think he even sent Niall to the hospital recently which is what made Maura send Niall back to London on his own. Sweetie, it’s been six years and a lot has happened, so when Niall gets here, be gentle around him and just be less you until you’re sure he’s okay with that. We don’t know in what kind of condition he’ll come back in,” Anne warned her son who looked sad about the whole situation.

“I promise I will mom, but do the others know?”

“Don’t think so. You can tell them Niall is coming back, but don’t say why. Just tell them what I told you before I told you the truth. That there’s a family thing going on back in Ireland that Maura wanted Niall to not be there for. If they ask anymore questions, just say you don't know more and that Niall will tell you if he wants because it's very personal. Okay?” Anne warned her son with a stern look and Harry held his hands up.

"I get it mom, don't worry. So when is Niall getting here?"

"I'm picking him up from the airport tomorrow at around noon so you'll be in school."

"Okay, but wait, isn't he going to be missing out on this school year? I mean classes end next week," Harry asked curiously as he watched his mom fluff the pillows on the bed.

"Maura said she homeschooled him this year and he's a bit head so he's already done with this school year but he's getting enrolled to your school in the fall. Now get out so I can finish this room before tomorrow, you're distracting me with all these questions."

"Okay okay, I'm meeting the guys anyway. I'll see you later mom!"

Harry's head was spinning with the new information. It's been six years since Niall left and suddenly he's back and things have changed. Bobby is hurting his Niall and it makes Harry's blood boil with anger and he really can't wait to see Niall, but he knows things won't suddenly go back to being how they were six years ago. The four remaining boys are very close and Niall grew up without them so it's like meeting him all over again. Is he still the same Niall from when they were kids or is he a completely different person? Does Niall still prefer Hello Kitty over action figures?

*

"Why are you thinking so much?" Liam asked Harry worriedly as the four met up for ice cream at their favorite shop.

"Do you guys know Niall is coming back?" Harry asked curiously, wanting to make sure they didn't already know and just hadn't bothered telling him, but the look of shock on their faces is his answer.

"What? No we didn't obviously know, Harold. What the hell? When is he coming back? Why after so long?" Zayn asked with a frown as he stared down at his ice cream, trying to wrap his mind around the idea of seeing Niall again.

"He's coming alone and he'll be here tomorrow, my mom's picking him up and he'll be staying with us until Maura or Greg can come to London."

"Wait, what? Why is he coming alone?"

"Mom wouldn't tell me much, just said they're going through something back in Ireland, some family thing and Maura needed to send Niall so he wouldn't be there when shit went down or something," Harry shrugged, feeling guilty for lying to the four people he loves the most. "She did say that we'd have to be careful around him for awhile and to not be too ourselves."

Louis was silent during Harry's news. Part of him was so excited that his princess Niall was coming back and another part of him was mad for some unknown reason. Mad that Niall was coming back to change the dynamic of their little group again like he did when he'd first arrived to London twelve years ago. He knows it's silly to be mad for that, but he's scared to see how much Niall has changed without them. Scared that maybe they won't have that connection they had the first time. And he's scared to know about the situation that's forced Niall to basically flee his own home.

"Lou?" Harry called worriedly as they all looked over at the youngest of the group who still hasn't said anything.

"I don't know if I even want him back," Louis finally mumbled, avoiding their gaze and busying himself with his ice cream. "Well I mean, this is huge. I remember being all sad and angry that he'd left and I know it wasn't his fault, but I couldn't help it then and I can't help it now. And I guess I'm worried too, don't know what this whole thing that's going on is."

"We get it and we're not blaming you for feeling the way you do, you were the closest to him anyway," Liam shrugged as he sent Louis a reassuring smile. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens with his return. So your mom doesn't know how long Niall is going to be here alone?"

"No, she mentioned that Maura told her that if she's not here before school starts that my mom enroll Niall to our school so I'm guessing it could be awhile. I think this whole situation has to do with Bobby."

"Figures," Zayn scoffed, remembering his distaste for Bobby after he divorced Maura and ignored Niall for so long.

*

"Mom, I'll be fine," Niall told his mom softly as they prepared to say goodbye at the airport.

"I know sweetie, but after that's happened I really don't want to risk anything else happening to you. I know Anne will take great care of you though and I hope to see you soon. Bobby won't be too happy about this though," Maura said as she rubbed Niall's arms, trying to avoid rubbing too hard because of his bruises.

"I'll call you as soon as I get to Anne's and thank you for this. I don't want to be scared anymore," Niall mumbled as he hugged his mom, closing his eyes tightly before pulling away.

"I know baby. Be good, love you."

"Love you too."

And Niall was off, away from his mother's warm and safe arms and away from his father's abuse and cold persona. Away from the man who turned out to be a monster in disguise and off to a, hopefully, better place. He's utterly nervous to see the boys again, scared that they've all moved on past him. He's dealt with a lot of rejection these past six years, but he thinks that maybe getting rejected by the four boys he's always loved will finish breaking him.

The flight is long and he's tired, didn't get any sleep last night because of how nervous he was. He tries sleeping on the plane, but there's a kid two rows in front of him that won't stop crying for half the flight and even though he puts on his headphones and listens to music, he can still hear those high pitched squeals.

Once at the airport in London, Niall searches for Anne feeling anxious and slightly scared at the amount people walking around. He sees her eventually though and he lets out a sigh before walking over to her timidly.

"A-Anne?" Niall calls out quietly just to be sure and he hears her gasp so yeah he's got the right one.

"Oh sweetie, look how much you've grown," Anne says in surprise and Niall silently thanks her for not mentioning the bruise around his left eye or the one on his jaw. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

Niall nods and melts into her embrace the second her arms go around him, having missed the woman he viewed as a second mother so he hugs her back and cries a little. She rubs his back and sniffles as they hold onto each other in the middle of the airport probably getting weird looks from people but Niall doesn't care. He's going to be safe now and he's miles away from Bobby.

"Come on baby, let's get your stuff so we can go home and rest or maybe eat something."

They get Niall's remaining luggage and head out and find Anne's car parked in the sea of cars. They chat for a bit, about how the flight was and how Maura and Greg are doing. She doesn't mention Harry and neither does Niall, doesn't think he's ready to hear about him just yet when he’s still taking in everything.

Once at Anne's place, he finds that Gemma has moved out and lives with a friend near her college. Nothing has changed much, except they have new furniture and some pictures on the wall are still the same and Niall spots himself in a few and it makes his heart hurt and stomach to feel queasy because there staring back at him are five happy six year olds. Niall finds an updated picture of Harry on his way to his new room and he smiles realizing that his Haz hasn't changed much except for the growing curls on his head. And Niall doesn't bother searching for pictures of the others, doesn't really want to right now. He's feeling overwhelmed at this point.

"Alright sweetie, this is your new room. You can change it if you'd like to make it more your own, feel like home. There are hangers in the closet for your clothes, the drawers are empty so you've got plenty of room for your things. Do you want anything to eat right now?" Anne asks as she watches Niall look around the room.

"No, I'd rather just get some sleep but thank you. I still gotta call my mom before she starts to worry," Niall tells her with a soft tired smile as he tugs the sleeves of his lilac colored knit sweater down.

"Okay, if you need me I'll be downstairs," Anne told him and was about to walk away before she paused and turned to look at him. "Oh and Niall, I don't want you to be afraid, be who you want to be because we love you, yeah?"

"Thank you."

Anne left the room and closed the door after her. Niall sat on his bed and let a few tears fall as he searched for Peter so he could hug him tight. Peter is as old as he is and though he's slightly battered and torn, Peter is Niall's best friend. Peter is Niall's comfort, Niall's security blanket, Niall's memory of a better time. So he lets his tears roll as he buries his face into Peter's fur like he always does when he's feeling sad or scared, or just wants the comfort of something familiar. In this case he's feeling everything and he wants something familiar in this new place.

"Oh Peter, this is too much," Niall whimpered, trying to keep his sobs quiet but eventually there were arms around him and Anne's flowery scent filled his sense of smell and he sobbed into her arms as she whispered into his ear soothing words that he wants to hear.

Eventually Niall falls asleep and Anne places a blanket over the fifteen year old who really doesn't look like fifteen. He's short and very skinny, cheeks are still slightly chubby and rosy colored like when he was little and the way he sleeps in a fetal position with his old bear clutched to his chest makes Anne's chest ache at the sight because that boy has been through too much.

Leaving Niall to rest, Anne heads downstairs and wipes away her own tears before calling Maura herself knowing Niall didn’t have time to do so.

"Anne, how's my boy? Is everything okay?" Maura asks quickly, worried about Niall.

"He's fine Maura and he's sleeping right now, poor thing is exhausted from the flight. I'll tell him to call you when he wakes up, but uh, how are things over there?" Anne asked hesitantly.

"Bobby is furious that I sent Niall to London. Just, just keep an eye on him, Anne. He's still the same Niall, just a bit more fragile."

"Don't worry Maura, he's in good hands. You did the right choice by sending him here, being away from there will help him heal old wounds."

"I know. I gotta go, have a meeting with my lawyer soon but I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright, bye," Anne hangs up and sighs before looking up at the clock and realizing Harry will be home from school in half an hour.

*

"Do you think Niall is here?" Liam asked Harry during their last class of the day.

"Should be, just remember that mom doesn't want you guys around the house for a few days until he gets settled in," Harry informed his friends who all nodded though Louis looked like he wanted to comment something, he's been a bit off on this whole situation.

"Just update us later when you see him," Zayn tells Harry and they can all detect the worry and protectiveness in his tone. It might have been years, but he was still very overprotective of Niall and always would be no matter how long has passed.

"I will."

The bell rang sometime later and they all parted ways at the parking lot with Harry walking the short distance home while Louis got a ride home from Zayn and Liam headed off on his own.

At home Anne greeted him by the door with a smile and Harry could tell that she'd been crying but didn't comment on it and instead let her hug him.

"How was school?" She asked as she lead her son into the kitchen.

"Boring as usual. Um is he-?"

"Sleeping upstairs. Listen H, when you see him, don't comment on the bruises, they're pretty noticeable. In fact keep away from topics like Bobby, or anything that has to do with the past six years unless he wants to tell you, understood?"

"Got it mom. What does he look like?" Harry asked her with a smile as he couldn't hold back his curiosity on the boy.

"Well he's still very cute. His hair is bleached now, but it suits him. He's a little small for his age, doesn't look like he's fifteen and he's still got Peter, remember him?"

"Yeah and that's so cute, I can't wait to see him."

Harry is helping Anne with dinner nearly an hour later when they hear footsteps coming down the stairs and a small quiet voice calling out for Anne and Harry tries to hold back his grin and excitement as Anne calls that she's in the kitchen. The footsteps reach the kitchen and suddenly Harry is face to face with an angel. With his princess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't leave you guys hanging after last chapter.
> 
> I wrote this last night while listening to Pandora and I started crying halfway through because Story of My Life came on and I usually always cry with that song. And I've been wanting to cry all day because of what happened to Louis and Eleanor


	19. "Hi, princess"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hi princess," Harry whispered in greeting, his eyes filling up with tears as did Niall's and Anne walked off with a smile to give them some privacy.

Harry is helping Anne with dinner nearly an hour later when they hear footsteps coming down the stairs and a small quiet voice calling out for Anne and Harry tries to hold back his grin and excitement as Anne calls that she's in the kitchen. The footsteps reach the kitchen and suddenly Harry is face to face with an angel. With his princess.

Niall is still as adorable as he remembers him, except his hair is now blonde with the brown roots showing and fringe falling across his forehead. He's dressed in what appears to be black leggings and a large lilac colored knit sweater that reaches his mid thigh and covers his hands, making him have sweater paws. His eyes are still as blue as Harry remembers them and his skin so white it reminds him of snow, but the bruises on his face were a large contrast. It made Harry angry to think that Bobby could ever hurt his son like that, but now he's relieved that Niall is here with them and safe.

"Hi sweetie, have a nice nap?" Anne asked as she walked over to Niall and brushed back the fringe across his forehead so she could see his eyes a little better.

"Yeah I'm sorry for earlier," Niall told her quietly, cheeks flushed as he avoided looking over at Harry who was still staring at him.

"No, don't apologize, yeah? It's not good for you to keep your emotions bottled up, just know that you can trust me."

Niall nodded with a soft smile and then Anne pulled away from him, looking over at Harry and motioned him closer to the pair. Harry walked over a bit hesitantly, not wanting to scare off Niall.

"I'm sure you boys remember each other."

Niall nodded and smiled shyly at Harry who really had to refrain himself from pulling the small blonde into his arms. Harry wanted Niall to go at his own pace so he'd let the blonde make the first moves.

"Hi princess," Harry whispered in greeting, his eyes filling up with tears as did Niall's and Anne walked off with a smile to give them some privacy.

"H-Haz," Niall whimpered out and then he was hugging Harry around his waist and crying into his chest. Harry's arms automatically wrapped around Niall's shaking frame and buried his face into the soft fluffy blonde hair, his tears too falling as he finally got the chance to hug his Niall again after so many years.

"Hey, it's okay, love, you're here now," Harry whispered into Niall's ear as he rubbed his back gently. "You're home again, Ni."

"I-I missed you and the lads," Niall hiccuped as he pulled away to look up at Harry, letting him wipe away his tears with his thumbs.

"We missed you too, princess, so much."

Anne came back into the kitchen and smiled as she found the two still hugging and Harry telling Niall something that made him giggle. The two still had tears on their cheeks though, almost like they still couldn't believe they were seeing each other again. She sighed, thinking how different things would be if Niall had never left.

"Alright boys, sit, dinner's ready," she told them.

Harry and Niall broke apart and sat together at the table with Anne across from them. Niall was quiet during dinner, just letting Anne and Harry hold conversations and he was okay with that because he wanted to get familiar with them. After dinner Niall helped Anne clear the table and then headed up to his room wanting to start unpacking.

"Hey, do you need anything?" Harry asked as he stood at the doorway of Niall's room.

"Um no thank you," Niall replied as he turned around to give Harry a soft smile.

"Okay, I'll be in my room if you need me."

Niall nodded and watched Harry leave before letting out a soft sigh and pulling his clothes out of his bags. He pulled out a box with pictures in them and smiled before setting it down on the nightstand. He was going to learn how to be himself again without having to hide his likes and dislikes. There was no more Bobby around to make him sign up for soccer or make him be basically Greg all over again. He was going to be who he was before he left, the boy who liked to be called princess and wear tiaras and paint his nails. He’s going to be the old Niall again with time.

*

Harry was in his room thinking about Niall when he got a text from Zayn asking how things went so he went on their group chat to tell them.

**Harry: it's gone great so far, he's still our old Nialler somewhere in there, just a bit broken**

_Liam: what's he like?_

**Harry: he's short, so skinny it worries me a bit, he's got blonde hair now though**

_Zayn: blonde?? Did he recognize you? How'd it go with that?_

**Harry: well yeah he recognized me. We hugged and cried and he's so quiet it hurts. And he's got bruises on his face.**

_Louis: bruises?! Harold, why does he have bruises?!_

**Harry: shit, I shouldn't have said that**

_Liam: well it's not like we weren't going to see them. I mean, we are going to see him soon, right?_

**Harry: well that'd be up to him. He's had a rough day so far and mom wants him to feel comfortable with us first, but I'll ask him if he'll be up to seeing you lads soon**

_Louis: take care of him H_

**Harry: no worries, I will**

After that Harry said goodbye to the lads when he saw Niall walk into his room shyly, looking scared and probably expecting Harry to start yelling at him for being there. It broke Harry's heart to see Niall so shy and scared when he used to be so outgoing around them.

"What's up princess, need something?" Harry asked softly as he sat up in his bed.

"Can you tell me about the others? I've really missed them," Niall said softly as he approached Harry who patted the space next to him on the bed. Niall sat down next to Harry and played with his fingers nervously.

"Well they miss you alot and they send their greetings," Harry said, feeling Niall lean into his side a bit.

"They know I'm here?" Niall asked in surprise as he looked up at Harry.

"Yeah and they said they'll be happy to see you whenever you're up for it. They know things must be overwhelming for you right now. They haven't changed much, they're still the same goofy kids from six years ago, though Louis really took you leaving the hardest. He put all his stuff like the tiaras you guys used away."

Harry told Niall stories of the last six years, catching him up on things and smiling every time he'd hear the blonde giggle. Niall was curled into his side and Harry was holding him gently as they continued to talk. When Anne checked up on them later, she found the two fast asleep with Harry holding Niall protectively. She smiled and let the two sleep.

The next day Niall was in his room finishing folding clothes while Harry was off at school and Anne was talking on the phone downstairs. Niall really wanted to see the others, but he was nervous. Harry had assured him that the others really wanted to see him and that they'd missed him, but he was scared that maybe they'd forgotten him.

"Sweetie, your mom wants to talk to you," Anne said as she walked into Niall's room with her phone.

"Thank you," Niall said and took the phone. "Hi mom."

"Hi honey, how are you?" Maura asked.

"Fine, it's a bit overwhelming to be back, but I'm managing. I've even talked to Harry and it's like I never left. He's been so nice to me and is being gentle, which I appreciate. He lets me initiate contact like when I hugged him yesterday."

"Well that's great, sweetie! I'm glad you're doing good. Listen honey, I talked to Anne and she's going to look for someone you can talk to about what happened."

"But mom," Niall whined, he didn't want to tell some stranger about his problems with his father.

"Niall, it's for the best. It's going to help you heal faster and help you see that you've done nothing wrong these last few years because I know how much you blame yourself over everything. At least go once and if you don't like it then that's the end of that and I won't insist again."

"Okay. How's everything back there?"

"Well as you can imagine, Bobby is mad but he can't do anything since he's still under investigation. Greg says he'll call you soon, sends his love."

Niall hangs up soon and goes in search of Anne to return her phone. He finds her in the laundry room.

"All done sweetie?" Anne asks with a smile and Niall's nods.

"Um mom said you were going to look for someone for me to talk to?"

"Only if you want to."

"I'll give it a try. I think it can help," Niall said, wrapping his arms around himself.

"I'll find someone and make you an appointment."

Niall was sitting outside later that day enjoying the rare bit of sunshine when Harry got home. Harry walked out and found the blonde sitting under the large tree with a book on his lap open but gaze locked somewhere else. Blue eyes looked up when Harry stepped out into the yard and a soft smile grazed Niall's face.

"How was school?" Niall asked as Harry sat next to him.

"Eh, Louis got detention though for talking back," Harry shrugged and Niall giggled. "How was your day?"

"Your mom found someone for me to talk to and I'm going next week Monday."

"And you want to talk to someone? Like, are you comfortable with that idea?"

"Not really, but mom made a good point. She said it can help me heal faster and I want to leave everything behind, learn to close that part and learn to forgive," Niall sighed as he looked over at Harry who smiled at him.

"I'm proud of you for wanting to do that, takes courage," Harry said, hoping to boost Niall and give him motivation to want to talk to someone. "You look cute today."

"Thanks," Niall blushed as he looked down at his outfit which consisted of a light blue long sleeved shirt and light washed skinny jeans. Niall didn't think it was anything special, but he was glad someone could compliment him. "D-Do you think I can see the boys this weekend? I really want to see them."

"Only if you're one hundred percent sure and if you feel ready or you could meet with them one at a time."

"I'm sure, I just can't wait any longer and there's still three days until then to make sure that I am. Just maybe tell them that I would love to see them this weekend but to not be disappointed if in the end I cancel."

"That sounds like a good idea love, I'll tell them tomorrow. Now let's go inside."

The two headed in and found Anne getting ready to leave for work.

"Boys, there's money on the counter for pizzas. Be good and if you need me my phone will be with me all the time. I'll be back late so don't wait up," she told Harry and Niall who nodded. "Good, love you boys."

"Love you too," they replied and watched her leave.

*

"Lads," Harry greeted his friends with a smile that morning as he walked up to them.

"What's up? How's Niall doing?" Liam asked as they all walked together towards their lockers.

"He's opening up more and he says that he's ready to see you guys and wants to do it this weekend if you're not busy."

"I can't, sorry," Louis said and walked off quickly leaving behind the other three who sighed.

"He'll come around eventually, but is Niall sure he's ready?" Zayn questioned Harry with a frown as they reached his locker first.

"Well I asked him and he's sure and he's got these next few days to prepare himself and if he's not feeling up to it then he'll cancel but he's been asking a lot about you," Harry told them honestly.

"Well I can't wait to see him then."

Niall was having a bad day. He'd slept very little the night before and when he did he'd have the same dream where Bobby was hitting him and then he was at the hospital. That morning before his shower, he caught his reflection in the mirror and noticed the ugly bruises on his chest and arms. The ones that were fading were a light yellowish color and there were ones that were a bright blue and purple with a red-ish color to them. He cried in the shower after that, just sitting under the hot spray of the water until his skin turned red. After that he got dressed in a navy colored hoodie and gray sweatpants and just laid in bed hugging Peter not wanting to do anything else.

"Niall, do you want to eat anything sweetie?" Anne asked as she walked into the room, looking at the blonde sadly when she saw him looking so vulnerable.

"Not hungry," he whispered, clutching Peter a bit tighter.

"Alright, get some rest and then when you wake up I'll make you something to eat. If you need anything I'm downstairs," Anne said as she walked over to Niall and leaned down to press a kiss to his head.

When Harry got home from school, Niall was still in his room and Anne was sitting in the living room looking worried with the tv on low volume and an empty tea cup on the coffee table in front of her. Harry frowned and walked over to greet his mom.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Niall's been up in his room all day, think he's having a bad day. I called Maura and she said that it's normal. And I get that he's having an off day, but he hasn't eaten anything and he's already so skinny, Harry," Anne sighed as she looked up at her son who frowned.

"Can I go check on him?"

Anne nodded and Harry headed up the stairs. He walked into Niall's room and found him in the middle of the bed still hugging Peter and eyes red with dried tear stains on his cheeks. Niall looked over and attempted to give Harry a smile, but the corners of his lips didn't move much.

"Bad day?" Harry asked softly as he went over to sit next to Niall.

"Very. And I tend to dress more like Bobby wanted me to, like a normal boy," Niall explained in a shaky tone. "He tends to get to me more on days like these."

"But you need to eat something. At least a sandwich or some fruit," Harry told Niall quietly as he brushed back Niall's hair.

"Okay," Niall sighed and sat up, letting Harry help him up and lead him downstairs while holding his hand.

Harry made Niall a sandwich and sat with him to make sure the blonde ate it.

"So what did the boys say?" Niall asked as he looked up at Harry, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"They'll be ready to see you when you are, but Louis said he couldn't because he's busy with his sisters all weekend," Harry lied, making up an excuse to Niall instead of just telling him that Louis didn't want to see him without an excuse.

"Oh," Niall said sadly as he slumped forward in his seat and lowered his gaze to the half eaten sandwich.

"Hey, he really wants to see you but he's got like a million siblings now and I think his mom is working all weekend so he's going to watch over them."

"But it feels like he doesn't want to see me."

"He does princess, but he's busy and he's trying to find time."

Niall quickly dropped the subject of Louis and began to tell Harry one of his happier memories from his time in Ireland when Greg and him had gone on a small road trip and camped out a whole weekend.

"And Rex? What happened to him?" Harry asked.

"He lives with Greg, but he's getting old, and doesn’t do much and is very lazy. He met someone though and they had puppies, but we had to give them away. Greg's girlfriend Denise kept one."

"Wow."

Without realizing it Niall had finished eating his sandwich and Harry simply smiled as Niall chattered away about something. Anne watched from the entry and silently thanked her son for being such a big helper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They saw each other again, how cute :)


	20. Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall is sitting in the living room waiting waiting for Liam and Zayn to arrive. Harry was outside, probably to talk to them before they went in.

Saturday arrives and Niall is more than ready to see the other boys. He took extra time in the shower and brushed his hair and he really wanted to wear a short sleeved shirt because it was a bit hot out, but he didn’t want the boys to see his bruises first so he settled for another long sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans. He put on a pink and white flower crown on his head before heading downstairs for breakfast, hearing Anne and Harry talking in the kitchen.

“Morning,” Niall greeted them with a smile.

“Hi love, you’re looking quite lovely today,” Anne told him with a smile and Niall blushed, looking over at Harry who smiled back at him.

“Morning princess,” Harry greeted him and handed him a plate with chocolate chip pancakes. “Eat before the lads get here and finish up everything.”

“I’m working until six today, so will you two be fine?” Anne asked them.

“Yes mom, don’t worry,” Harry told her as he sat next to Niall with his own plate of pancakes.

*

Niall is sitting in the living room waiting waiting for Liam and Zayn to arrive. Harry was outside, probably to talk to them before they went in. And Niall really appreciated that Harry was looking out for him so much knowing that he was scared about this. Niall is still sad that Louis wasn't coming, but maybe he just needed time as well because this wasn't an easy situation. The last time anyone ever saw Niall he'd been nine and happy, now he's fifteen and constantly living in fear or sadness. Sure he's felt his mood get a lot better these last few days with Anne and Harry, but nothing would take away the fact the he lived in hell for six whole years, enduring harsh words and every hit and punch Bobby had thrown his way in frustration.

Outside, Harry smiles when he sees Liam and Zayn walking up the driveway both looking nervous. Harry is nervous too, more for Niall than anything.

"Hey," they greet Harry.

"Hi, okay so Niall is waiting inside but I just wanted to talk to you first. The bruises on his face are still pretty visible, so don't comment on that or stare for too long because it's impossible to not stare when they are right there. Also, wait until he initiates any contact. I've seen him flinch when I go and touch him even if he settles into it eventually but it scares him. He's a little quiet when it comes to talking, he's not the old loud Nialler who didn't care about anything, he’s insecure," Harry explained to them and they nodded in understanding.

"We get it H, you've told us all day yesterday," Zayn snickered, trying to release some of the tension around them.

"Okay, sorry. Let's go in then."

Niall went rigid when he heard the front door open and three sets of footsteps walk inside the house. He heard one pair approach the living room but the other two seem to have remained.

"Ni, come over here princess," Harry spoke gently as he motioned Niall over to where the others were probably waiting. "They're here and they want to see you."

Niall nodded and took in a deep breath before walking over to Harry and freezing once he was face to face with his two other princes, Liam and Zayn who looked equally as shocked as him. Harry was standing off to the side a bit, just watching and ready to step in in case Niall needed it, but so far it seemed to be going okay as Niall took a few more steps until he was closer to Liam and Zayn with tears in his eyes and covering his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Hi princess, we're so happy to see you," Liam choked out, forming his hands into fists to refrain himself from reaching out to touch the blonde.

"We've missed you," Zayn continued next, looking into Niall's blue eyes and finding it hard to not drift his gaze to the bruises which were like giant neon signs on the blonde's pretty face.

"L-Liam. Z-Zaynie," Niall cried and wrapped his small arms around both of them as best he could, breaking down into loud sobs because he was hugging them again and his flower crown falling to the ground. He had three of his four boys back and no matter how many times he's dreamt of this reunion, he never thought it would happen.

"It's okay, princess," Liam cooed at Niall, rubbing his back with one arm as Zayn too hugged the blonde as best he could in their three way hug. "Shh, Nialler."

"I never thought I'd see you again, Ni," Zayn said as he closed his eyes and let a tear roll down his cheek as he took in a deep breath and smelled Niall's sweet scent of vanilla. "I can't believe you're here and I'm hugging you."

Niall let out a weak giggle before he looked over at Harry and motioned him to join their emotional hug. Harry hugged Niall so he was trapped in the middle of them and placed a gentle kiss to his head. Niall was still crying in the middle, his heart hurting because _his_ princess wasn't there as well.

They eventually pull away and Liam wipes away Niall's tears before they all head into the living room and sit on one couch with Niall curled up in between Liam and Zayn. He had his arms around himself, but leaned his head on Zayn's shoulder and let Liam lean his head on his.

"How are you doing, Ni? Harold treating you like the princess you are?" Zayn asked curiously and Niall giggled again, a bit quietly, but it was there and it made the other three smile.

"More than that, I'm treating him like a queen," Harry defended himself with a scoff as he faked being hurt over Zayn's comment.

"He's been amazing and I can't thank him enough," Niall replied with a smile.

"Good, or otherwise I would have to shave his hair off," Zayn threatened and Harry made a sound of protest while Niall giggled into the palm of his hand.

They fall into a comfortable silence, just really soaking up that this is real and that Niall is with them again.

"How's Louis?" Niall suddenly asks as he sits up and he heard Harry sigh and Zayn shifts in his seat. "I know he doesn't want to see me, not because he's busy, but because of something else."

"You're too smart, Ni," Harry sighs as he moves to sit in front of Niall. "Princess, it's not that he doesn't want to, it's just that he still doesn't know how to handle this situation. Yeah he's happy your back, but he's confused on his feelings as to why he's also feeling angry and scared. But he's asked about you though, so it's not like he's trying to ignore the fact that you're back, it's just that he's not ready to face you."

"I'm guessing you two know about Bobby and so does Louis, right?"

"Yeah, to some extent, but we're not asking you to tell us what happened. That's for you to decide if you ever do want to," Liam said as he looked at Niall who was staring down at his lap sadly. "And Lou, well, guess he's scared he might say the wrong thing around you. Doesn't want to hurt you, but he'll come see you eventually, I promise."

"I hope so, because it hurts that he's not here right now. And it hurts knowing that he's so conflicted over my return."

"And I don't want you to feel guilty over that, Nialler, got it? It's his problem, not yours," Harry warned Niall in a bit of a stern voice so Niall knew he was being serious about it.

*

"Why aren't you out with the lads?" Jay asked her son as she walked into his room only to see him playing video games on his own.

"They're over at Harry's seeing Niall," Louis sighed, turning off his game and looking over at his mother who walked over to sit next to him on the bed.

"And why aren't you with them? Isn't this what you've wanted? For Niall to be back? You cried for weeks after he left, boo, and now that he's back don't let opportunities like this go to waste. Niall wanted to see you boys because he felt ready, Anne has said that Niall has some bad days where he's so overwhelmed with everything all he does is sit in his room and cry. Maybe when you decide that you're ready, maybe he won't. He's going through a lot right now, Louis and he really needs his best friends back by his side to support him through all these changes," Jay told Louis, ignoring the commotion going on in the twins room.

"I know, Harry's told me about Niall's bad days," Louis mumbled as he plays with his phone.

"Don't be afraid, he's still Niall, just a little different than the last time you saw him."

"I know mom, but in a way I feel so angry and I don't know why! Like, I don't know if my anger is directed towards him or Bobby or what, but I'm also scared that we won't be as close as last time. I lost my best friend six years ago, I don't want to go and see him only to realize that I won't ever get him back or that I'll lose him again."

"But you're both sad right now. He's probably with the other three right now wondering why Louis is refusing to acknowledge him, maybe feeling like you don't care about him."

"But I do care about him. I ask Harry everyday how Niall is doing and everyday it's a different answer. On Tuesday it was tired, emotional and a bit scared. On Wednesday it was conflicted but happy and Thursday it was awful because he'd had an off day all of Thursday. And last night Harry texted us in the group chat saying Niall had been excited for today."

"Than that should be your answer because you're worried and care about him and I know you want to see him to make sure he really is here. You're probably more scared to see how he is, like what state he's in or see the bruises on him."

"That too because I always used to feel so awful when he'd get hurt, like when he had his first asthma attack and I was paralyzed in fear or like when we got lost in the woods and I started to cry because he was."

"Just try and work your feelings out faster because he's going to be waiting for you."

Jay left his room shortly after when Daisy's and Phoebe's yelling grew louder. Louis laid back in his bed just staring at the ceiling for a few minutes before he worked up his courage and called Zayn.

"Hey," Zayn answered after the third ring.

"How's it going?" Louis asked, biting his bottom lip nervously.

"It went great, he's resting right now though, poor lad cried a lot, but uh, he kept asking for you and he knows that you didn't come because you were having an internal battle."

"What?! Did you guys tell him?"

"No, he figured it out on his own, but eventually Harry had to explain it to him that just like he needed time, that you need it too."

"Oh. Mom talked to me and I think I'm getting closer to wanting to see him. She helped me realize a few things and I feel a bit lighter."

"That's great Lou! Gonna have to tell us when you are so Niall can be too and out a date to your meeting," Zayn said.

*

After the lads left, Harry headed up to Niall's room to check up on him and found the blonde still fast asleep with Peter in his arms. He looked peaceful almost, he only frowned momentarily and Harry waited to see if Niall was having a nightmare but it went away and nothing happened. Harry walked over to Niall and pressed a kiss to his head softly before leaving to his room. Halfway through the night, there’s a soft knock on his door that somehow wakes him up. He thinks that maybe he imagined it, but then it’s there again and turns the lights on, gets out of bed and opens the door, shocked to find Niall standing on the other side with Peter in one arm and wiping his tears with the other.

“Ni?” Harry asks quietly as he lets the blonde in.

“C-Can I sleep with you?” Niall stuttered out.

“Yeah sure, love, come in.” 

Harry let Niall step inside and then closed the door. Harry headed back to his bed and found Niall already on the right side with the blankets up to his shoulders and clutching Peter to his chest as he sniffled. Harry gets in beside Niall and turns off the light, not knowing if it’s okay to wrap his arms around the blonde or ask him if he’s okay. Like he’s said, he’d rather let Niall initiate something first.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” Niall tells Harry softly a minute later, turning around until he was facing Harry.

“Don’t be sorry, princess. You can always count on me day and night whenever you need me. I don’t care if you need me at four in the morning, just come wake me up because you’re important to me.”

Niall smiled softly at Harry and moved closer until Harry got the hint and wrapped his arms around Niall and held him to his chest. The two fell asleep quickly with no more conversations between them and Niall feeling slightly better after his nightmare.

Harry enters the school building on Monday morning feeling slightly tired, but doesn’t mind because he’d do anything for his princess. He meets up with the lads and the four walk together to their lockers, this time Louis more excited to hear about Niall and that’s when Harry knows that the reunion between their princesses will be soon.

“He had a nightmare last night and Saturday, ended up sleeping in my room both nights,” Harry tells them as he opens his locker.

“Poor Ni, just hope being here will help him out.”

*

Niall is sitting in a soft white couch in an office with large wall to ceiling windows and beige carpet. He’s playing nervously with the sleeves of his denim jacket and looks around, seeing many diplomas hung on the wall and he was just waiting for his therapist to walk in.

“Hi, sorry to keep you waiting,” she smiled as she walked into her office wearing a black dress with a gold belt and white cardigan. She was pretty, looked young and her long blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail.

“It’s fine,” Niall told her a bit quietly, watching as she grabs a notebook and pen before taking a seat in front of him.

“Alright Niall, I’m Dr. Walker but you can call me Adriana. Anne is your current guardian, yes?” Adriana asked Niall who nodded. “She told me what she knows, but I want to hear it from you and how you’re feeling.”

“I don’t remember, but my mom told me that I started to like princess things when I was around three and my dad didn’t like it obviously. He ignored me and refused to accept what I liked but she told me that eventually he caved in. Then their divorce came and he distanced himself from both my older brother and I and I always felt it had something to do with me,” Niall began, eyes trained on the coffee table in front of him. “Then we moved back to Ireland when I was nine and he’d changed again. He didn’t want me to grow up to be some cross dressing fag and said that he would beat that shit out of me.”

“How long did the abuse last?”

“Six years and a week ago my mom decided to send me back here to London and I’ve been staying with Anne since. She’s like a second mom to me.”

“And how do you feel now that you’re away from your father?”

“I’m still scared. I know I’m safe here, but my nightmares feel so real.”

Eventually Niall walked out feeling a bit more relieved and Anne hugged him.

“Want me to set up the next appointment?”

“Please,” Niall told her as they pulled away, a soft smile on his lips.

After that they went home and Niall waited for Harry to get home in the living room. Anne had gone to work and he was alone, jacket left on the couch as he inspected his pale arms and the fading bruises. As long as Niall had bruises, he didn’t want the boys to see them which is why he kept them covered by wearing long sleeves or jackets. He didn’t want to see the pain behind their eyes.

“I’m home!” Harry called as he walked in through the front door and tried to not gasp at the colorful spots on Niall’s arms, but there were a lot and it was hard not to stare.

“H-Harry,” Niall stuttered out as he quickly grabbed his jacket and put it on.

“Princess,” was all Harry said before he started to cry. He’d tried being strong, to hold it in for Niall knowing the short blonde had been through so much, but it hurt to see the bruises. It hurt to think about what Niall possibly went through and he just wanted his little princess to be okay.

“N-No, don’t cry,” Niall croaked out, tears rolling down his cheeks at seeing his prince cry like that.

Harry’s the one who needed to feel that his Niall was right there, so he’s the one who pulled Niall into his arms and cried into his shoulder. Niall relaxed into Harry’s arms quickly, instead of flinching, and shut his eyes as he began to hiccup and choke back sobs.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Harry cried as he pulled back and cupped Niall’s face in his hands.

“Don’t apologize Haz, I’m sorry you had to see my bruises. I tried keeping them covered so I wouldn’t scare you guys.”

“Hey no, I don’t want you to apologize for that. Obviously we don’t know what you actually went through with him, but we know something and we’re not expecting you to be okay and we sure as hell aren’t expecting you to keep us from seeing your bruises just because you don’t want to worry us. Princess, all we want is for you to focus on yourself and getting better. Don’t worry about us,” spoke Harry softly as he stared into Niall’s dull blue eyes. There wasn’t much of a sparkle there, they seemed lifeless and tired and all Harry wanted was to see the life return to them.

Niall stared into Harry’s eyes as well and let a small smile tug at his lips before leaning up onto his toes to place his lips softly against Harry’s, without thinking. It was quick and soft, but they both smiled and Harry wrapped his long arms back around Niall’s tiny frame.

“I-Is it okay if I don’t cover them up? My mommy used to cry when she saw them, which is why I started covering them up. That and I didn’t want people to judge and ask questions,” Niall asked Harry timidly, sitting on the curly haired lad’s lap as they curled up on the couch together.

“I don’t care babe, as long as you feel comfortable. It’s all up to you, princess,” Harry said as he rubbed Niall’s back softly, not knowing if the blonde had bruises back there too.

“I’ll think about it. It can get pretty hot in long sleeves.”

Later that evening, Niall’s in his room writing in a journal that his therapist suggested he do when his phone rings and he answers without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?” Niall answers as he puts his pen inside the journal and closes it.

“Where the fuck are you,” came Bobby Horan’s voice through the other line and Niall immediately froze because how did he get his number? Niall got a new phone and number shortly before leaving Ireland. “You think you can hide from me? I’m gonna find you, and when I do, you’re going to regret running like the fucking coward you are.”

Niall ran out of his room with the phone pressed to his ear and tears streaming down his face as as he searched for Harry. Bobby kept throwing hateful words at him and Niall stumbled into the living room where Harry had been watching TV and just stared at the curly haired lad.

“Ni?” Harry called in worry as his heart raced against his chest.

“B-Bobby,” Niall choked out as his hands shook, wide eyes staring at Harry who quickly sprung up to his feet and took the phone from the trembling blonde.

Harry didn’t want to risk Niall’s safety by yelling at Bobby, so he hung up the phone and pulled the trembling blonde into his arms.

“Shh, he doesn’t know where you are, princess. He’s not gonna find you. You’re safe here okay? I’m not going to let anything happen to you again, you’re safe,” Harry said over and over as he rubbed Niall’s back.

Niall simply clung to Harry and cried silently. He thought he was finally going to be okay, but his dad had to go ahead and ruin his life once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote like three chapters yesterday after neglecting writing anything for a week 
> 
> Also Happy St. Paddy's day :)


	21. Broken Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “B-Because no one wants a b-broken p-princess,” Niall cried, Peter clutched tightly to his chest and Zayn really wanted to cry at Niall’s statement.

Harry stays home from school the next day to be with Niall who hardly slept the night before and was refusing to eat. Anne had called Maura to tell her what had happened. It’s like everything they’ve worked with Niall on just went down the drain as the little blonde sat curled up into a little ball filled with fear.

“Ni, princess, why don’t you try eating something?” Harry asked the blonde softly as he crouched down in front of Niall.

“Don’t wanna, Hazzy,” Niall replied in a small voice as he looked at Harry with teary eyes. “I want cuddles.”

“My princess wants cuddles?” Harry cooed as he sat on the couch next to the blonde and pulled him onto his lap. “We’ll only cuddle for a bit and then I want you to eat something. You haven’t eaten since dinner yesterday.”

Niall only shrugged and snuggled into Harry’s warm chest, smiling as his arms wrapped around his petite body making him feel safe.

“Hazza?”

“Yeah, princess?” Harry hummed as he continued to rub Niall’s back.

“Can I sleep with you tonight? Don’t wanna be alone,” Niall mumbles as he buries his face into Harry’s chest.

“Of course you can love.”

After Niall eats some fruit, he’s napping in Harry’s room hugging Peter and Harry gets a call from Liam which he imagines all the lads are together since school is out now.

“Hey guys,” Harry answers as he walks out of his room and into Niall’s to not wake up the blonde who for the first time today looks peaceful.

“Why weren’t you in school today?” Louis asks and Harry can hear the concern in his tone.

Harry explained what happened last night and how he didn’t want to leave Niall’s side and Anne had agreed to let Harry stay for Niall’s sake. Zayn mumbles something under his breath that Harry can’t quite catch but then Louis is crying on the other line and it startles them all.

“Love? What’s wrong?” Liam asks and Louis chokes back a sob as he hiccups.

“I just- I just want Ni to be happy and t-to be safe but B-Bobby-!” Louis sobs and it breaks Harry’s heart to hear Louis so worked up like this. The last time Louis cried like this was nearly two years ago when he was missing Niall a little more than usual and just couldn’t hold in how sad he was and how much he missed the Irish lad.

“Princess, I want you to listen to me,” Harry pleads the younger lad who makes a noise of acknowledgement. “As long as he has us, we’re going to make him happy and keep him safe. He's with us now, Louis, it's going to be okay.”

“Hazzy?” Niall called from Harry’s room in confusion as he didn't see his curly haired prince anywhere.

Harry quickly walked over to his room and smiled at Niall as he heard Liam and Zayn try calming Louis down.

“Who are you talking to?” Niall asks quietly as he plays with Peter, wide curious eyes staring at Harry.

“It's the boys, princess, they were asking about you,” Harry replies as he covers the speaker part of the phone so the others won't hear him talking to Niall.

“Is Louis there too?”

“Yeah princess, why?”

“C-Can I-?” Niall trails off unsurely. He wants to talk to Louis, but doesn't know if he'd be asking for too much by wanting to talk to him through the phone at least and he’s scared Harry will yell at him telling him it's not the time. He knows Harry wouldn't yell, but a small part of him is thinking he will.

“Let me ask him, yeah?” Harry tells Niall who nods and goes back to playing with Peter, stroking his fur and fixing the red bow around its neck. “Louis? Can you calm down a bit for me, love?”

“Mhm?” Louis hiccuped.

“Will it make you feel better if you talked to Ni? He's right here and he's asking to talk to you, baby,” Harry tells him gently, not wanting Louis to think he'd get angry if he said no.

“Um-”

“You don't have to,” Zayn mumbles on the other side and Harry bites his bottom lip as they wait for Louis’ answer.

“Y-Yeah, I wanna talk to him,” Louis eventually answers and they all release the breath they didn't know they'd been holding and Harry can't help but smile.

“Okay. Ni, princess, Lou’s on the phone and wants to talk,” Harry tells Niall whose whole face lights up and immediately reaches over for the phone.

Niall places the phone to his ear and hears whispering before it goes quiet and Harry motions that he'll be outside the room to give him privacy. Niall nods and hugs Peter to his chest in anticipation.

“L-Lou?” Niall calls shakily.

“Ni?” Louis replies and that's all it takes for Niall to start sobbing and it sets Louis off again. “M-Missed you!”

“Me too,” Niall hiccuped. “W-Wanna see you Lou.”

“Me too princess, if y-you want I can go right now?”

“Please, Lou!”

Niall and Louis hang up and Niall cries a little into Harry’s chest before heading into his room to put on a long sleeved shirt so Louis doesn't see his bruises. The doorbell goes off a few minutes later and Niall races downstairs to open the door, coming face to face with his princess Louis. They both kind of just stand there in shock for a few minutes, trying to gather their thoughts. Niall takes the first step and hugs the brunette tightly, breathing him in and closing his eyes as he feels Louis’ arms go around his body and hug back just as tight. They stand there hugging each other for who knows how long until Harry comes downstairs and frowns in confusion when he sees Louis.

“Lou?” Harry questions.

“H-Hi Haz,” Louis greets nervously as he tries to pull away from Niall, but the blonde keeps hugging him.

“I'm guessing the boys don't know you’re here and you ran off on them.”

Louis blushes and nods which makes Harry sigh, but smile fondly at him before going off to text the other two that Louis was at his. Meanwhile Niall pulls away from Louis and they both take good looks at each other. Niall stares into Louis’ blue eyes, seeing little spots of green in them. He takes in the way his hair falls across his forehead looking all soft and pretty, how his plump lips are slightly parted and dried tear stains on his cheeks.

Louis realizes Niall hasn’t changed much, except for the blonde hair and the still nasty bruises around his left eye and jaw. They look faded now, but there’s still a blackish tint to the one on his jaw and the one by his eye is still purple and blue with a reddish tint. Louis’ eyes flicker down to Niall’s lips and they’re a pale pink color and the bottom lip so plump and pretty Louis just wants to bite down on it lightly.

“You're so pretty,” Niall whispers in awe as he strokes Louis’ right cheek with a finger. “I've missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. I’m so sorry for not wanting to come see you, but I was scared,” Louis says quietly as he breaks eye contact with Niall, blushing as Niall keeps stroking his cheek.

“I-It’s fine,” Niall stutters out before hugging Louis again and nuzzling his face into his neck. “You’re here with me again, Lou.”

Niall leads Louis up to his room and the two lay down on Niall’s bed, Niall holding onto Louis tightly afraid the slightly older lad will disappear. Louis giggles as Niall’s fingers brush against his side and Niall giggles in return.

“How have you been?” Louis asks slightly awkwardly as they sit up against the headboard.

“Could be better,” Niall shrugged, sounding all sad and tired and all Louis wanted was for his old Nialler to be back. “M-My dad called and I’m so scared he’s going to come find me! I-I don’t w-want h-him to!”

“Hey, shh, Niall, it’s going to be okay. He’s not going to find you,” Louis said as he pulled Niall into his arms and just held him tight with his eyes closed even though he was scared as well. Scared Bobby would come back and take Niall away from them again. “We’re all going to fight for you.”

~

 

“Where are they?” Liam asked as Harry let him and Zayn into the house.

“They’re upstairs, been crying on and off every few minutes. It’s kind of amusing when you randomly start to hear one of them choke back sobs and talk all high pitched and mumbled,” Harry chuckled and Zayn rolled his eyes.

“How’d it go though? Like, are they okay with each other?”

“I mean they probably wouldn’t be up there on their own if they weren’t okay with each other, but they seemed good.”

They began to head upstairs and peeked into Niall’s room, smiling when they saw the two giggling at something, heads bent together as they stared at some pictures.

“What are you two doing?” Zayn asked, causing them to shriek and look up with wide eyes before bursting into more giggles. “You two are so giggly.”

“We’re looking at pictures and there’s a picture of Harry naked,” Niall giggled and Harry blushed while Zayn and Liam burst into laughter as they hurried over to see a picture of a naked four year old Harry wearing nothing but a crown on his head and a pout on his face.

“What? When was this taken?” Harry asked in embarrassment as he snatched the picture from their hands, ignoring their laughter and looking at the picture.

“Don’t know, reckon it was sometime before we started school. I don’t actually remember this happening,” Niall shrugged. “Me ma found it in a photo album and I just brought it to embarrass you.”

“Look at his cute little-”

“Don’t you dare say it,” Harry warned Zayn.

“I was going to say your little curls, but if you wanna acknowledge the tiny thing between your legs than you can do that on your own, you pervert,” Zayn scoffed as he looked over at Harry who blushed even more while the others laughed louder than before.

Harry didn’t even care that they were all roasting him, all that mattered was that all five of them were finally together again and they were having a great time. Eventually the others had to leave though and watching Niall and Louis say goodbye was breaking Harry, Liam and Zayn’s hearts.

“Ni, I promise I’ll come back soon. School ends in two days and then we’ll have all summer together,” Louis promised as he tried getting the blonde to stop crying again. “Just two more days, princess.”

“B-But-” Niall couldn’t even finish what he was going to say as he choked back a sob and continued to cling tighter to Louis who was rubbing his back.

“It’ll be okay,” Louis mumbled, pressing a kiss to Niall’s head before looking over at the other three asking for their help, but more specifically Harry’s.

“Hey princess, why don’t you start getting ready for bed and go to my room when you’re done, yeah? You can sleep with me again,” Harry cooed as he walked forward and carefully and slowly pulled Niall away from Louis who looked like he wanted to cry as well.

“O-Okay,” Niall sniffled and walked past everyone to head to the bathroom. If it’s one thing Harry’s learned, is that Niall really hates saying goodbye now. And to be honest, Harry didn’t ever want to hear Niall say goodbye again.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow then,” Harry sighed as the four walked down the stairs and towards the front door.

“Bye Haz,” they mumbled and left the Styles residence.

Harry locked the door and turned off every light but the hallway one before heading upstairs. He walked into his room and found Niall already in bed with Peter and wiping away more tears. Harry smiled sadly and went over to hug Niall.

“Why are you crying, princess?” Harry asked quietly as he let Niall’s head rest on his chest.

“I-I want my L-Lou!” Niall sobbed, Peter squished between them.

“He was just here, love? He’ll be back again soon.”

“I-I know but still.” Niall sniffled, closing his eyes as Harry’s hand rubbing circles onto his back made him sleepy as the seconds went by. “I went six years without you guys, don’t wanna be apart from you guys anymore.”

Harry sighed sadly and kissed Niall’s head. Niall eventually falls asleep and Harry tucks the boy in next to him and turns off the light before settling down as well.

The next two days were quiet for the most part. Niall didn’t have much nightmares and ate with Anne and Harry. Now Niall was waiting for Harry and the boys to get home from their last day of school. He waited impatiently in the living room, just staring out the window and Anne had only shaken her head and smiled fondly at the excited blonde. She’d been talking to Maura a lot these last few days and remembering their conversations only made her sad to think of how Niall would take the news.

“I see them! They’re here!” Niall shouted excitedly and Anne chuckled as the blonde nearly tripped to go over and open the front door. “Hi!” Niall waved as they all climbed out of Liam’s car.

“Hi princess, how was your day?” Harry asks as he walks up to Niall and kisses his cheek, smiling as he watches the smaller boy blush.

“It was okay. Where’s my Lou?” Niall asked sadly when he didn’t see Louis get out of the car.

“I’m sorry love.”

Niall’s bottom lip trembled and he ran off. He didn’t understand why Louis didn’t want to see him. Niall had called yesterday, but Louis hadn’t wanted to answer and his mom had apologized to Niall for her son’s attitude.

“I’ll go with him,” Zayn says and the other two nod.

Zayn heads up the stairs and hears Harry and Liam greet Anne, but soon their talking is drowned out by the sound of Niall’s sobs coming from his room. His heart breaks at the sight. Niall is curled up into a tiny ball with Peter clutched to his chest.

“Princess,” Zayn calls out gently to not startle the blonde.

“N-Not a princess! Don’t wanna be a-a p-princess!” Niall cried as he sat up in bed and stared at Zayn with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Why not love? You’ll always be our princess,” Zayn says as he reaches out to wipe away Niall’s tears, but his attempt was useless because more kept coming. “Talk to me baby, why don’t you wanna be a princess anymore?”

“B-Because no one wants a b-broken p-princess,” Niall cried, Peter clutched tightly to his chest and Zayn really wanted to cry at Niall’s statement. His Nialler thought he was broken and that no one wanted him for being broken. He swore right then and there that Bobby was going to pay for every word, every punch he ever directed at Niall because his old Nialler had never been shy about being who he was and now this Nialler looked at them for approval each time he dressed in something that wasn’t so boyish.

“No, I want you to listen to me, Niall. You are not broken. And even if you were, we’d fix you right back up because despite what you think, we’ll always want you. And you’ll always be our princess, ignore what Bobby told you. He had no right to say those things to you and I don’t want you to believe them. You can be who you want, Ni, we’re not going to judge you for it.”

“B-But Louis doesn’t want me! He doesn’t want me because I’m not the old Niall anymore!”

“No, that’s not true. Louis does too want you, but he doesn’t know how to handle being around you. He doesn’t know if it’s okay to say or do certain things, he doesn’t wanna hurt you Ni, but he loves you a lot.”

Niall didn’t look so convinced, but he nodded for now and Zayn grabbed a tissue from Niall’s bedside table and began to wipe away his tears gently, not wanting to hurt the lad. Niall was hiccuping and looking at Zayn sadly.

“Alright my pretty princess, you wanna go downstairs and see the others? Get you a little snack?” Zayn asked as he got up to throw away the tissue and Niall nodded. “Okay, but I don’t ever want to hear you say those things again, alright?”

Niall nodded but wasn’t really paying attention. He felt hurt that Louis wasn’t here despite having promised to visit once school ended. He wanted to think that maybe Louis had something to do with his family, but even when they reunited a few days ago Louis had seemed a little hesitant around him. Almost like he’d been holding back.

Once downstairs they found Harry and Liam in the kitchen eating a peanut butter sandwich. They looked up when Zayn walked in with Niall whose face was red and blotchy from crying. Harry and Liam shared a look with Zayn who responded back and Niall was a little creeped out how the three communicated through just their expressions.

“Princess,” Liam said and Zayn looked over at Niall before shooting Liam a hard look. “You want a sandwich?”

“Please?” Niall told them and Zayn sat Niall down next to Liam while he got to work on making Niall his food.

“So Ni, since we’re done with school, how would you like to go out tomorrow? We could go to our favorite park, the one we used to go to as kids and have a little picnic, yeah?” Harry suggested.

“That sounds fun,” Niall smiled and Liam ruffled his hair.

“Good.”

Later that day, Niall was outside in the backyard all on his own. Liam, Zayn and Harry had gone out to the mall and had invited Niall, but the blonde had refused saying he didn’t feel comfortable going somewhere so crowded. He was sitting under his favorite tree in jean shorts that reached his upper thigh and showed off his pale legs and the various bruises still scattered around them. He lets out a sigh and leans back against the tree staring up into the bits of sky he can see through the leaves. Suddenly the back door opens, but he brushes it off thinking it’s Anne or one of the boys saying they’re back, but he’s really surprised when it’s Louis that stands in his line of vision.

“What are you doing here?” Niall asked and really he doesn’t mean to sound so cold, but he’s just sick tired of getting his hopes up. He wants to be okay, he wants his boys to accept him again, but Louis’ confusing Niall and it’s best for the blonde to set his walls up higher to not get hurt again.

“I just want to say I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you, I hope you know that and I really do love you. It’s just, it’s been six years Ni, you can’t exactly expect me to go back to the way we were before you left. I’m trying my best, but I can’t shake off the fact that you were hurt and it makes me so angry that someone who’s meant to love and protect you couldn’t support who you are,” said Louis as he sat in front of the blonde, placing a hesitant hand on his leg and rubbing it gently. “I don't want you to think that I don't care about you, I do. We all do, but just like you need time to recover, I need time to realize that my best friend is back.”

Niall didn't know what to say. He was touched, in a way, that Louis loves him so much he’s also affected by what happened, I mean after all, they were the closest of the five so really it shouldn't be a surprise.

“But, do you promise to be there for me when I need you? Do you promise to be patient with me when I'm having my bad days?” Niall asked in a scared tone as he looked at the brunette with teary blue eyes.

“I promise to be there if you promise to be my old Nialler again. I know it's gonna take some time for that, but we just want to see you happy again.”

Niall nodded and tackled Louis to the grass, wrapping his arms around him as best he could and the two laughed.

“You know technically you're still my boyfriend,” Louis said with a small mischievous smirk as he sat up with the small blonde on his lap. Niall simply tilted his head to the side in a bit of confusion and Louis laughed. “We used to be boyfriends, remember? And we never really broke up when you left so technically you're still my boyfriend.”

Niall blushed at that and Louis chuckled before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Niall smiled and cuddled into Louis who rubbed his back and played with his hair gently.

“The lads wanna go out on a picnic tomorrow, wanna come?” Niall asked Louis, trying to not get his hopes up just in case Louis felt like disappearing again.

“I'd love to. Spend more time with my princess,” Louis replied and kissed Niall’s cheek again. “Only if you promise to come to my place on Saturday, I wanna show you something. My mom and sisters will be out so we can have privacy.”

“Sounds good, I wanna spend some alone time with my Lou.”

When the other three got home, they were quite surprised to see Niall and Louis running around the yard kicking a soccer ball and laughing freely. It definitely was a huge relief to hear their blonde princess being so happy and carefree. Niall deserved the world at this point and all four boys would make sure to keep him happy and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be a little slow on this story so please be patient with me, thank you!!


	22. Weekend With Lou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The blonde blushed and looked at Louis shyly as his heart raced and cheek tingled with where Louis’ lips had brushed against his skin.

It's Saturday and Harry’s going to drop Niall off at Louis’ place. The blonde is feeling quite nervous. Throughout the week Louis has really been trying hard to be there for Niall and treat him as normal as possible, but sometimes Niall feels like they're all walking on eggshells around him. He gets that he's not in exactly the best state of mind at the moment, but he won't break if they talk to him too loud or something. One thing Niall does appreciate though is that they give him space when he starts to feel overwhelmed, or they don't crowd around him too much anymore and they let Niall initiate contact if it's an iffy kind of day. Of course Niall still has nightmares, hard not too when the last six years were of Bobby yelling at him that he wasn't normal and that Bobby was ashamed of having such a disgusting son. He knows the boys won't ever say anything like that to him, but he still feels scared. And he's tired of being scared.

“You ready to go yet, princess? I'm sure Louis is getting antsy,” Harry says as he pokes his head into the room and smiles wide. “You look beautiful, Ni.”

“Thanks,” Niall blushed but really, it wasn't anything special. He was just in some black jean shorts that were a little short and a simple white t-shirt. Maybe it was because lately Niall had stopped trying to cover himself up so much, but when he wasn't wearing long sleeves, they all reminded him that he was beautiful and that he looked good. “I'm ready.”

“You have your phone with you so call me if anything happens or you just want me to pick you up. Do you need your inhaler? Actually, just take it with you just in case. You've got a bag with extra clothes and Peter is packed, right?”

“Yes Harry,” Niall giggled and grabbed his baby blue backpack with overnight clothes, an extra set for tomorrow, his inhaler and Peter all packed and ready to go. He hasn’t used his inhaler in months, but it’s best to be safe than sorry.

“Okay, oh here!” Harry said and raced off to his room before running back with something soft and pink in his hands. “I saw this yesterday at the store and thought you'd like it.”

Niall grabs it and smiles. Harry bought him a pink blanket with white swirls. He hugged him tight and shoved his blanket into his bag. The two were then on their way after Niall saying goodbye to Anne who hugged him tight and kissed his cheeks more than once before letting him go. They reached Louis’ house in no time and Niall took in a deep breath.

“Okay, Louis wants you to go through the gate. It should be unlocked so just push it open. He should be out in the backyard waiting for you. Take care of yourself and remember what I said,” Harry told Niall who giggled again and nodded.

“I will, thanks H,” Niall says and leans over to kiss his cheek before getting out of the car and heading towards the side gate to go into the yard.

The yard was huge and much more different than he remembered. There was a trampoline near the back, a swing set nearby and a recently remodeled deck area complete with a table, chairs, large umbrella and a grill. What caught Niall off guard was the treehouse on top of the tree.

“Ni,” Louis smiled as he finished climbing down the ladder and hugged the blonde tightly.

“Hi,” Niall squeaked out nervously and Louis giggled.

“So the surprise is up there,” Louis said as he pointed up at the three and a headed towards the wooden ladder. “Dan, my mom’s husband, made this a year after you left and I always said I was going to bring you up there one day and well that day is finally here. My sisters never use it, but Fizzy kinda helped me out with decorating it. I should stop talking so we can head up. Come on.”

Louis went up first and Niall followed shortly after, gasping once he saw the inside of it. There was a plush light blue rug on the wooden floor with a bunch of cute pillows in one corner and fairy lights hanging from different areas of the large house. On one wall, there was a bunch of pictures. Some were of all five of them and some of only the other four with always a space in the middle.

“When we’d take pictures as a group, we’d always leave a little space for you and somehow it always felt like you were there with us,” Louis explained as he caught Niall staring at some pictures taken around two years ago.

“That's sweet. I can't remember the last time I was ever happy when I took a picture,” Niall mumbled as he stood in front of the wall. “Actually I can. It was at Ed’s party, shortly before I left, after that I kinda just stopped smiling. I wasn't myself, I couldn't be myself so there was no point in being happy.”

Louis smiled sadly and plugged his phone into some speakers that were sitting on a table. Niall left his backpack right under the table and pulled Peter out, setting him on the mountain of pillows and Louis giggled as he saw the old bear.

“If you get cold, hungry or need to use the bathroom just tell me,” Louis told Niall who nodded and sat on the fuzzy rug. It was very comfortable and Niall felt like he was sitting on a cloud with how soft it was. Louis sat down next to him, the music playing softly and the two just sitting in silence.

“Lou, can I ask you something?” Niall asked as he looked over at Louis who’d been staring out the window.

“What is it? You can ask me anything,” Louis shrugged, turning his body to face Niall and give him his full attention.

“When did you stop liking princess things? Like when did you stop wearing tiaras and pink?”

Louis let out a sigh and looked down at his hands. “I just didn't see a point of wearing those things if my partner in crime wasn't around anymore. I tried you know? It was hard because everything reminded me of you and I was so angry and so sad that I wanted nothing to do with any of that. One day, maybe around a month after you left, I stashed all of my tiaras and pretty stuff away in a box and I've not seen or touched that since. Think mom put it up in the attic. And you? When did you stop?”

“It happened slowly and I kinda didn't notice when I stopped wearing my favorite colors. As the years went by I kinda just got used to picking out black instead of pink. I tried being like Greg, so Bobby would stop hurting me, but no matter what I did I could never please him,” Niall shrugged sadly and Louis kept his hands in his lap to avoid reaching out and touching the blonde. “And I'm trying to be who I really want to be, but sometimes I'll look in the mirror and I'll hear Bobby’s disapproving comments and it makes me want to just curl up and cry. I-I don't wanna be like this, Lou! I-I don't wanna b-be broken.”

“No, you're not broken, Niall and stop saying you are. We’re gonna be here for you to help you and don't think that you're alone. Yeah some days are going to be hard, but that's why you have us now, your friends,” Louis said as he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Niall’s cheek.

The blonde blushed and looked at Louis shyly as his heart raced and cheek tingled with where Louis’ lips had brushed against his skin. It's hard for Niall to hide his growing crushes on all four of his boys and it's such a weird feeling because Niall’s never really liked anyone this much before. Sure he had a crush on one other guy, but even that feels a lot different than this and he doesn’t know why. He's never kissed anyone and he most certainly doesn't know much about sexual things, he's as cute and innocent as they can be nowadays. Bobby had homeschooled him because he'd been ashamed to let people know that his son was so much different than the other boys. Niall didn't know much about anything.

Later, both Louis and Niall were curled up together under Niall’s new blanket and giggling about something or another. They were holding hands under the blanket and Louis liked the feeling of Niall’s small delicate hand in his.

“Have you talked to your mom?” Louis asked Niall as he turned on his side to better look at the blonde.

“No. I've tried but she doesn't answer and I told Anne and she said she's talked to her and that things are okay but I get the feeling that they're hiding something from me. Like maybe me getting away from Bobby was just another excuse,” Niall replied sadly.

“I'm sure everything's okay, Ni and you'll hear from her soon. Now how about we go inside? I wanna give you something.”

“Okay,” Niall giggled and followed Louis out of the treehouse and the two ran inside.

The last time Niall had been over to Louis’ place, he'd only ever met Lottie and Fizzy, but now there were two more girls smiling in pictures and Niall honestly couldn't believe Louis had so much sisters. The two headed up to Louis’ room and Niall made a small pout at how simple it was. The walls were a light gray and a double sized bed was in the middle with simple sheets and just a few pictures of Louis and the lads. There was one picture in a sparkly pink frame of Niall and Louis when they were around six and both wore large smiles and matching tiaras with red lipstick applied messily all over their lips. Niall giggled and focused his eyes on where Louis was, bent over his dresser looking for something.

“Lottie and I went to the mall a few days ago and I saw this and thought you'd look really pretty in it,” Louis spoke nervously as he turned around with the mystery object behind his back and a blush on his tan cheeks.

“What is it? I like presents,” Niall asked as he sat on Louis’ bed and bounced slightly on it, clearly excited and Louis giggled.

Louis walked forward and pulled the object out from behind him. It was a cute and simple flower crown with white and light pink flowers with a few green leaves in it. Niall gasped and looked up at Louis with wide eyes.

“It's so pretty,” Niall whispered as he took the flower crown gently from Louis’ hands and examined it. “It's, it's for me?”

“Yeah, so you like it?”

“Love it! Thank you so much!” Niall said as he put on his crown and hugged Louis tightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek before going off to check his new crown in the mirror.

Louis watched fondly as the blonde twirled around and giggled as he adjusted the flower crown on his head. The two were watching Netflix an hour later when Louis’ mom and the girls get home and Niall immediately asks if he can go say hi to Louis’ mom and Louis nods.

“Mom,” Louis called as he arrived at the kitchen where his mom was unloading grocery bags with Daisy and Phoebe sitting at the island eating ice cream.

“Oh, hi sweetie,” his mom greeted with a large smile.

“Someone wants to see you,” Louis told her and he stepped aside to show her a smiley Niall who waves at her excitedly.

“Oh Niall, baby!” She cries and goes over to hug the blonde tightly with teary eyes and Niall hugs her back. “Oh look at you, darling, you're so adorable. I've missed you sweetheart.”

“Missed you too, momma,” Niall giggled with a blush as they pulled away from the hug and he let Louis’ mom cup his face and inspect him.

“Mommy, who’s that?” One of the twins called as she stood next to her mom and looked up at Niall curiously.

“Girls, meet Niall, an old family friend. Ni, baby, these are my youngest, Daisy and Phoebe.”

“Hi,” Niall greeted them with a smile.

“You're pretty,” one of them said and the other nodded before running off and the blush on Niall’s face deepened as Louis giggled and laced their fingers together.

“Are you staying tonight?”

“Yeah, if you don't mind having me,” Niall told her shyly.

“Oh nonsense, darling, this is your home too and you are welcome to stay over anytime you want.”

“Thank you.”

After that Niall and Louis headed back upstairs giggling about something and they walked past Lottie and Fizzy who were in their room painting each other's nails.

“Niall, can you come here?” Lottie asked and both Niall and Louis exchanged looks before walking inside the overly pink and purple room.

“Yes?” Niall asked them.

“I wanna do your nails. Can I? Please?” Lottie asked and Fizzy headed to the vanity to grab nail polish.

“Um okay,” Niall replied hesitantly and Louis sighed and settled himself on Fizzy’s bed as he watched his sisters fawn over his princess.

“You'd look good in this,” said Fizzy as she grabbed a sparkly light blue nail polish and Lottie nodded in approval. “We’re glad you’re back, Louis won't let us do his nails or makeup.”

Niall only giggled and sat on the chair as he let Lottie grab his left hand and start painting his nails. Louis busied himself by playing on his phone and texting the other lads to update them on his day with Niall. When Lottie and Fizzy finished, Niall examined his nails with a smile and thanked the two girls who giggled as Louis dragged Niall away.

“Do you like them?” Niall asked Louis with a smile as he showed off his blue nails.

“It's a pretty color, suits you,” Louis told him with a smile.

*

“Hey Lou?” Niall called later that night as the two settled under the covers of Louis’ bed.

“What is it?” Louis mumbled sleepily.

“Have you kissed anyone? I haven't. Mainly because Bobby wouldn't let me go to school so I've never had a crush on anyone before and I've never had another boy ask me out.”

“Y-Yeah I've kissed someone,” Louis stuttered out nervously and he knew he should tell the blonde the truth, but he couldn't bring himself around to telling him.

“Oh. How was it?”

“Um well it was my first kiss so it was a bit awkward? Like, I didn't know what to do and I felt kinda insecure, but once you get the hang of it you start to enjoy it.”

“Oh and do you have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?” Niall asked curiously as he turned on his side to face Louis.

“Of course I have a boyfriend. It's you silly,” Louis tried, chuckling nervously but Niall shook his head stubbornly like it wasn't the answer he was looking for.

“No, like an actual boyfriend.”

“Ni, princess, you've been my boyfriend since we were kids.”

“But you're not listening to me!” Niall whined childishly and Louis was quite amused at how worked up Niall was getting over a simple question. “Like, before I came back, did you have a boyfriend? And I don't count because I didn't know we were still together.”

“No, no boyfriends. Just some casual kissing during a dare at a party two years ago. Satisfied?”

“No,” Niall pouted and Louis groaned because what else could this child possibly want from him? Lie and make up a fake boyfriend even though Louis has had a boyfriend. Has a boyfriend. He just doesn't want to say the truth and hurt his princess’ feelings.

“So you've never been kissed? Or liked anyone before?” Louis asked, going back to what Niall had said and feeling quite sad for Niall because Bobby deprived him of so many things. Bobby wasn't letting Niall live.

“No. Well there was this one guy I liked, but he was way older than me and he used to babysit me so he only ever saw me as a little brother. I guess I only really liked him because I used to spend a lot of time with him and he was the only guy I ever really saw that wasn’t related to me.”

“Oh and what was his name?” Louis asked curiously, eyebrows furrowed and feeling jealous that there had been someone in his princess’ life.

“His name is Niall Breslin, but we all call him Bressie and he’s really tall,” Niall giggled. “Before I left he told me he was coming to London soon so maybe I can see him again.”

“Oh.” Louis hasn’t even met this Bressie guy and he already dislikes him. He would say hate, but his mom always says hate is a strong word and the only person he’s ever really hated is Bobby Horan for obvious reasons.

“So you don’t have a boyfriend right now?” Niall asked Louis after a few minutes of silence that had made Louis believe the blonde boy was asleep.

“I do. It’s you,” Louis said and Niall let out a long dramatic sigh.

“Why would you wanna be my boyfriend? We barely know each other and I’m nothing special. I’m just a weird boy with a dad that hates him,” Niall said sadly and now it was Louis’ turn to sigh as he sat up and pulled Niall up with him.

“Listen to me and listen good. I know it’s been six years since we last saw each other and so much has changed since then, but you’ll always be my Nialler. My princess and nothing’s going to change that no matter how many more years go by and you are so special to me. To all of us. Your father has got nothing to do with you, he’s a whole different thing that we’d rather forget. If you want or if it makes you feel better, I can take you on a few dates and then I can ask you to be my boyfriend.”

“I don’t know,” Niall shrugged, looking at Louis with wide blue eyes. “Why would you want me?”

Louis groaned and grabbed Niall by his shoulders, holding himself back from shaking the boy because that probably wouldn’t end well. Heck, Louis shouldn’t even have had grabbed Niall because the blonde flinched and looked slightly scared.

“Look Niall, I’m tired of repeating myself. You are special and I really liked you a lot. I’ve liked you liked you since we were kids and that still hasn’t changed. Just because I didn’t see you for six years doesn’t mean that I stopped liking you like that. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t think about you and now that I have you here again I never want to let you go. You mean everything to me and I want you to understand that, okay?”

“Okay,” Niall said in a small voice and Louis let out a small sigh before leaning forward and kissing Niall’s forehead.

“Stop being so negative about yourself, princess. I don't really know what you went through, but I must imagine it obviously wasn't easy.”

“The worst six years of my life,” Niall whispered in response and a tear rolled down his cheek which made Louis reach forward gently to wipe it away. “I'm sorry for being like this.”

“Don't apologize because you've done nothing wrong. Now, let's get some sleep and we can go out for ice cream tomorrow, yeah?” Louis smiled at Niall, not wanting to see him sad anymore.

“Can I have sprinkles on mine?” Niall asked tiredly as they settled under the covers again.

“Anything you want, princess,” answered Louis and Niall cuddled up close to him. “Night Nialler.”

“Night Louis.”


	23. Worst Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It was good. Adrianna helped me realize something,” says Niall as he looks at them, still leaning against Harry’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: they discuss what happened the six years Niall was with Bobby

It’s been a week since Niall stayed at Louis’ place and the blonde has been doing a bit better now. He can finally sleep in his room on his own without waking up screaming from a nightmare. He’s gone out with his boys, but never somewhere crowded so their trips have been limited to the park or one of the other lads’ houses. They tried taking him to a diner, but Niall ended up having a panic attack before they even got there so they turned back and instead ordered pizza. Niall’s also been a bit more comfortable with wearing certain things. He wears the flower crown Louis gave him all the time and Anne bought him another one with purple flowers and he’s forgotten about long sleeves and doesn’t really worry much about his fading bruises. Overall, he’s a lot better than he was when he first arrived and the boys couldn’t be happier.

*

“Niall, you’ve got an appointment with the therapist today,” Anne tells the blonde during breakfast.

“Do I have to?” Niall whines with a pout and Harry snickers beside him.

“Yes, love, your mom wants you to keep going.”

“Okay. What time is it at?”

“At one thirty and you don’t mind if Harry drives you, do you? I’ve got a meeting at that time that I can’t miss,” said Anne as she looks at Niall who shakes his head and says, “I don’t mind.” “Alright good, Harry don’t be late. The session doesn’t last more than an hour.”

“Got it. We’ll leave early so Ni isn’t late,” Harry assured his mother who smiled. “Have you talked to Gemma?”

“I did last night, said she’s coming home for the summer,” Anne replies.

“I miss Gemma,” Niall giggles as he finishes eating.

Later, Niall is sitting in the familiar white couch in Dr Walker’s office. Adrianna walks in with a smile and her blonde hair is curled nicely. Niall really likes her, she gives him a sense of comfort and it’s like talking to a friend and not a doctor.

“How have you been Niall?” She asks with a smile as she sits in front of him with her notepad and pen.

“Doing a lot better now,” Niall tells her honestly and she nods.

“That’s great to hear, Niall. And your friends? Have they been treating you alright?”

“They’re amazing and they understand that I’m not in my best place emotionally and don’t pressure me to talk or anything. They give me my space when I need it.”

“Well I’m glad you have people that are so understanding. Have you told them anything of what you’ve gone through?”

“Not yet. I want to, but I don’t want them to look at me differently or pity me because of what happened. They know Bobby wasn’t the nicest man, but they’re not aware of how bad he was,” Niall tells her, looking up at her and sees that she’s looking at him with a soft smile on her face.

“You know it’s up to you if you ever want to tell them, but it could also help you if you do. Help you get things off your chest and start letting them in. Have you talked to your family?”

“No. Miss them a lot. My mom won’t answer my calls, but Anne says she’s too busy with her lawyers and stuff. I just, I have the feeling like they’re hiding something from me.”

“Are you worried?” Adrianna asked, writing something down on her notepad.

“A lot. I’ve never been away from my family for so long and I feel anxious not knowing if they’re okay and stuff,” Niall sighed as he played with his fingers.

Meanwhile Harry was outside in the waiting room texting the others and waiting patiently. It’s been twenty minutes and he’s growing restless. He’s read Vogue and GQ, tried watching whatever show was playing on the TV and even stared out the window.

 _Louis:_ How’s it going?

 **Harry:** i’m so bored, but i’m just glad ni wants to keep going with his therapies

 _Zayn:_ yeah, that’s great

Harry texts them for a bit longer until eventually Niall walks out with red rimmed eyes and dried tear stains on his cheeks. A tall blonde woman walks out after Niall, her hand on his shoulder squeezing it gently and she tells him something and Niall nods at her with a smile.

“Ready to go, princess?” Harry asks once Niall walks over to him.

“Yeah. Kinda tired now. This one was a bit more exhausting,” Niall says and yawns as if to prove his point and Harry chuckles as he wraps his arm around Niall’s shoulders.

“Then let’s get you home.”

Once at home, Niall heads up to his room and takes off his shoes. He gets on his bed and curls up with Peter and falls asleep quickly. Harry checks on him shortly after and drapes a blanket on Niall’s small body, leaning down to press a kiss to his head. Harry’s downstairs when the other lads arrive.

“Where’s my princess?” Louis asks as soon as he’s in the living room sitting next to Harry.

“Sleeping. He said his session was a bit more exhausting this time and he was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow,” Harry explained as he switched channels on the TV trying to find something decent to watch.

Eventually Niall walked downstairs rubbing his eyes tiredly and found Liam and Zayn playing video games while Louis and Harry watched, cheering them on. Harry was the first to spot Niall and stretched an arm out for the blonde who walked over and sat on his lap, curling up into a tiny ball.

“Sleep good?” Harry asked as he pressed his lips to Niall’s head and rubbed his back.

“Yeah,” Niall replied quietly.

“Hi princess,” Louis greets the blonde with a large smile and leans over to kiss his cheek which has Niall blushing and hiding his face into Harry’s chest while the others coo and chuckle.

“How was your session?” Liam asked the blonde, not wanting to pry into what happened, but wanting to know if Niall actually feels better now that he’s talking to someone about what happened the last six years.

“It was good. Adrianna helped me realize something,” says Niall as he looks at them, still leaning against Harry’s chest.

“And what’s that?” Zayn asked, the game long forgotten as they turned off the console and the TV to give their princess the full attention he deserves.

“She said it would help me to start letting you guys in more instead of keeping you out. I’ve just, I’ve wanted to not say anything about what happened to I guess protect you guys. I don’t want you to look at me differently and I guess I’m just scared you’ll end up treating me more like I’m made of glass.”

“Princess, you know it’s all up to you if you want to tell us or not. And whatever you tell us, I promise it won’t change anything. You’ll still be our princess and won’t look at you differently for whatever happened while you were back in Ireland. We just don’t want you to keep bottling things up so much and Adrianna’s right, it can help you feel a lot better,” said Liam as he stroked the blonde’s hair and looked at him with a kind smile.

“It’s just, sometimes I can’t even believe it all happened? Like, the man who was supposed to be my father and love me no matter what, became the worst monster I’ve ever dreamed off. Aren’t dad’s supposed to protect you and love you unconditionally?”

“Well I wouldn’t know, my dad hasn’t been around much,” Harry said with a shrug.

“I’ve never even met my real dad,” Louis spoke up while Liam and Zayn stayed quiet because they had their dads that loved them and were always there for them. “Of course our dad issues don’t compare to yours, but just know that you aren’t alone in this.”

“I know. It's just, I was nine and dealing with the pain of saying goodbye to you guys and moving back to a country that I couldn't remember. And Bobby he didn't hold back on what he thought about me and it was all confusing because I didn't understand why he was saying such horrible things to me. I didn't even understand over half of what he said and it didn't get physical until nearly three months later. It was his weekend with Greg and I, but Greg decided to stay with some friends after his soccer game so I was alone with Bobby. Mom had a double shift at the hospital all weekend so I was stuck with him since I didn't have any friends. He'd been mad because of something at work and I guess I just made him angry for no apparent reason and he took it out on me. I called mom in tears and her and dad argued so bad that day. I just remember being so scared and in pain, Bobby apologized to me but it happened again the next time I was with him and then it just became routine,” Niall explained, avoiding looking at the other guys who tried to keep their expressions neutral. “And anytime he'd see me wearing anything too girly he'd yell at me and hit me and eventually I grew to fear the things that I loved.”

Niall took a small break as he sighed and the others waited for Niall to continue, not knowing what to say. Harry placed a kiss to Niall’s temple.

“I tried hard to be like Greg because I wanted Bobby to love me, to be proud of me,” Niall choked out, tears rolling down his cheeks. “But I could never make him proud. Not even when I signed up for soccer and scored the winning goal at the final game of the season. He just grew more disappointed when I got injured at twelve while playing and the doctor said I couldn't play anymore. I never made him happy and he reminded me everyday for the next six years that I was only a disappointment to him.”

“You were always with Bobby? But why didn't Maura do something sooner?” Louis asked a bit angrily.

“Not always. Bobby went on business trips at least once a month and mom wasn't always aware of what happened. I was scared to tell her and she worked too much, I didn't want to worry her anymore,” Niall said as he wiped his tears away. “Besides, when I met Bressie things kinda changed. I stayed over at his place when things with Bobby would get bad.”

“Who’s Bressie?” Zayn asked curiously.

“He lived down the street from Bobby and sometimes he used to babysit me the first year we went back. He's like another older brother to me,” Niall shrugged.

“But you went to the hospital once, am I right? I think my mom told me the day before you got here and that was why Maura decided to let you come back,” Harry spoke up and he felt Niall tense in his arms.

“Bobby had pushed me down some stairs one night when we were arguing. I don't remember what it was about, but doctor said I broke two ribs, had a mild concussion and sprained my left foot not to mention all the other bruises all over my body so the police was called and that's how I ended up here.”

“Well thank you for opening up to us, we know it probably wasn't easy having to relieve all that. Just know that we don't think differently of you or anything like that. We still love you the same,” Liam told the blonde, reaching over to wipe away Niall’s tears.

“Thank you and I actually do feel a bit lighter.”

“And anytime you want to talk, we’re here to listen,” Harry said as he hugged Niall a bit tighter.

*

Niall was in his room after dinner, the other three lads long gone and Anne and Harry are downstairs watching TV. Niall had his phone in his hands and took in a deep breath as he dialed his mom’s number.

“Hello?” Maura answered, her voice sounding a bit off but it still brought a sense of relief over Niall and he let out a sigh.

“Hi mommy,” Niall greeted her.

“Oh baby, I've missed you so much. How are you doing? Are you okay?” She asked, coughing a bit afterwards and Niall frowned.

“I'm fine, doing a lot better, but, why haven't you called me? I've missed you.”

“I know sweetie, I'm sorry but I've been busy with the lawyers and all. I've talked to Anne though to ask how you're doing. She told me you like going to your therapy sessions?”

“Yeah, Adrianna is really nice and she's been helping me a lot and gives me tips on how to deal with my emotions and all that. And she gives me candy too,” Niall giggled and Maura laughed. “Mommy, when are you coming home?”

“I'm sorry baby, it doesn't seem like it's going to be soon. I have some stuff to take care off still, but Greg and Bressie are heading down next week since Bressie’s moving and your brother offered to help him.”

“Can't wait to see them then.”

“I gotta go, love, but I promise to call soon alright? And call your brother too so he tells you more about his visit,” Maura tells Niall who lets out a sad sigh.

“Okay. Love you mommy.”

“Love you too, love, be safe.”

Niall hung up and called Greg next, but his brother didn't answer so Niall called Bressie who picked up on the third ring.

“Hey Chief, doing good?” Bressie answers and Niall lays back on his bed with a smile.

“Yeah, but I miss ya,” Niall tells him honestly. And he really does because Bressie did so much for him and Niall can't thank him enough for always being there and helping him out when he needed it. “Mom tells me you and Greg are coming down next week?”

“Oh yes! I got a new job at this record label and I start in three weeks, so it gives me enough time to get set up and all that.”

“That’s great Bress, can’t wait until you’re here.”

“And you’ve been doing good? Your friends been treating ya right?”

“Yeah. They’re all amazing and I’m very thankful for them,” Niall said and Bressie made a sound of acknowledgement.

There was a knock on Niall’s bedroom door and he sits up and smiles at Harry who walks into the room and kisses his forehead as Bressie tells him about what’s happened since Niall left. Niall and Harry lay down on the bed and Niall cuddles close to Harry.

“Have you talked to Greg recently? I tried calling him but he wouldn’t answer,” Niall asks, smiling as Harry begins to play with his hair.

“I talked to him earlier and I think he had to work so I’m guessing that’s why he didn’t answer.”

“Oh, well everytime I try to call he won’t answer and he’s starting to piss me off,” Niall pouted and Bressie laughed on the other end while Harry tried keeping his laugh quiet.

Eventually Niall hangs up and turns to face Harry who smiles at him.

“You finally talk to your mom?” Harry asked the blonde who nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, but she sounded a bit different and I still don’t get why Greg hasn’t at least texted me to ask if I’m okay or something. I just- I have this feeling like something isn’t right and like they’re avoiding me.”

“I’m sure everyone is fine, princess. Now why don’t we make some popcorn and watch a movie in my room and cuddle up, yeah? You can bring Peter if you want,” Harry told the blonde who blushed at the mention of his old bear but he nodded and followed Harry downstairs.

“Boys, I’m going out. Don’t burn the house down and don’t stay up too late,” Anne told them as she walked into the room wearing a black dress and heels.

“Okay momma,” Niall told her with a smile and she kissed his cheek, leaving a light pink lipstick stain.

“Is it a date?” Harry asked her with a light frown and she rolled her eyes.

“No, meeting up with the other moms for a girls night out.”

“Okay.”

Anne left shortly after and Harry popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave while Niall grabbed some drinks. Soon Harry poured the popcorn into a bowl and the two headed upstairs to Harry’s room and the two argued on what movie to watch, but they eventually settled on Big Hero 6.

“Why are Disney movies so sad all the time?” Harry questioned after the movie ended and Niall shrugged, wiping away a tear from his eye.

“Don’t know and I really think they should stop making me cry all the time,” Niall jokes lightly and Harry laughs as he changes the channel.

Niall yawns and stretches a bit as Harry sets the empty bowl on the bedside table. The two decided to get ready for bed and Harry wasn’t all that surprised when Niall climbed into bed with him and Peter clutched to his chest. Harry simply smiled and turned the lights off before wrapping his arms around Niall who let out a sigh.

“Goodnight, princess,” Harry mumbled tiredly.

“Night Haz,” Niall replied back quietly and soon his breathing evened out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short but I don't care because Slow Hands has got me hooked!! And tickets for Harry's tour go on sale tomorrow, so if anyone is getting any, good luck :)


	24. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh. But why wouldn’t they tell me? Did they think I wouldn’t support them or- or do they not trust me?” Niall asked Liam sadly, voice cracking as he tried holding back his tears and he heard Liam sigh on the other end.

“Where’s Niall?” Louis asks as he steps inside Harry’s house.

“Wanted to go on a walk earlier,” Harry replied as he closed the front door and the two kinda just stood there.

“On his own?!”

“Yes on his own. His therapist told us it’d be good for him to do things on his own, to stop smothering him so much and make him feel like he can be okay on his own,” Harry explained to Louis who still didn’t look so convinced but sighed and nodded anyways. Not like he could do anything about it, the therapist knew what she was talking about and she had been helping Niall a lot these last few sessions.

“So we’re home alone?” Louis asked with a smile and Harry nodded with a smirk and the two ran upstairs.

*

Niall was walking back home with a small skip in his step, a smile on his face and a pretty pink rose that a little girl had given him. For the first time in awhile, Niall felt happy being on his own. He wasn't scared to walk around without one of his boys. He’d gone to the small park near Harry’s house and bought himself an ice cream and had sat down on a bench to eat it. As he’d sat there, a little girl with curly ginger hair and freckles across her nose and cheeks skipped up to him with a large grin showing off a missing front tooth. Her hazel colored eyes sparkled as she pulled a pink rose from behind her back and giggled cutely as she handed it to Niall.

“For me?” Niall had asked her in shock as he grabbed the rose gently from her hand.

“Yes. My brother thinks you’re pretty,” she said with a shrug and then skipped off, leaving behind a blushing Niall.

Shortly after that, Niall left the park to walk home and smelling the rose. He was so happy. The sun was shining and it was actually warm and he didn’t feel the need to hide the few bruises left on his arms. They weren’t that noticeable anymore so Niall felt a tad bit more confident.

When he stepped inside the house, he found it strange that it was so quiet despite Harry’s car being in the driveway. He shrugged it off and began to head upstairs, frowning when he heard noises coming from Harry’s room. Niall knew he should just ignore it and head to his room, but the door was kinda open and he heard Harry say Louis’ name so he got curious and peeked inside. Niall gasped loudly and felt his heart break at what he saw. Laying on Harry’s bed are both Louis and Harry in nothing but their underwear with Louis’ hand between them cupping Harry’s bulge and their lips connected together. The two broke apart quickly when they heard a gasp and saw a heartbroken Niall run off.

“Niall! Wait!” Harry shouted as him and Louis began to put their clothes on.

“Fuck Harry, I knew we should have told him,” Louis spoke quickly as his heart raced.

Downstairs the front door slammed shut and Harry cursed loudly. After they got dressed, Louis and Harry ran out to look for Niall and called the other two.

“We need your help, Niall found out about Louis and I and he ran off,” Harry explained through the phone as he looked around the street for signs of the small blonde.

“I fucking told you to tell him,” Liam hissed angrily through the phone.

“I know I know we screwed up. Just keep an eye out for him. He ran off and Lou and I can’t find him.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep in touch,” Liam said with a sigh and hung up just as Louis and Harry reached the park.

“Where could he be?” Louis wondered as he scanned the area but all he could see were little kids playing and two moms sitting on a bench chatting.

“Hey, we’ll find him and make it right,” Harry said as he pulled Louis into a hug.

*

Niall was sitting behind a tree as tears rolled down his cheeks. The rose lay forgotten on his lap as he tried choking back his sobs. He felt so hurt, so alone. He would have been fine if they’d told him from the start or if Louis hadn’t been leading him on all this time. He doesn’t even know how long he sat outside, but his butt felt numb and a bit wet from the grass but he didn’t care because his heart hurt and the tears wouldn’t stop.

“Niall?” Anne called sadly as she stepped out into the backyard and saw the small blonde just sitting there.

“A-Anne,” Niall cried and ran over to hug her.

“Oh sweetie, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” She asked worriedly as she held the trembling blonde tightly.

“I-I c-can never be h-happy,” Niall sobbed into her shoulder.

An hour later Niall was fast asleep in the living room with Anne stroking his hair when Harry and Louis walk in.

“Where have you two been?” Anne asked angrily as she walked over to them.

“We’ve been looking for Niall, he ran out-”

“He’s right here,” Anne said, cutting Harry off and both Louis and Harry ran over to the sleeping blonde and sighed in relief.

“Where was he?” Harry asked as he stroked Niall’s cheek.

“In the backyard crying. What the hell happened?” Anne asked again as she took both Louis and Harry to the kitchen so they wouldn’t wake up Niall who had started to shift from the noise.

“He- He walked in on Louis and I kissing and ran off,” Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“You never told him? What the fuck were you two thinking?” Anne hissed at them, glaring at both teens who looked quite guilty about what happened.

“We know and we just didn't know how to tell him without hurting him. We never meant for him to find out this way and gosh, I wish we could turn back time to stop this from happening,” Harry explained as he sat on a barstool with Louis standing next to him.

“I feel awful because I kept telling him that we were still boyfriends and he probably thinks I just lead him on,” Louis cried, tears rolling down his cheeks and Anne sighed.

“You two better apologize to him and make things right.”

With that Anne left the two in the kitchen and Louis stood between Harry’s legs and leaned against him. Harry wraps his arms around Louis and rubs his back, the two sitting in silence. Thoughts were running through their heads and the guilt was eating at them.

“I feel like a bad person,” Louis says as he pulls back to look down at Harry who nods.

“I know, Lou.”

Niall wakes up awhile later but doesn’t want to get up. He can hear hushed voices coming from the kitchen and he guesses it must be Louis and Harry so he really doesn’t want to let them know he’s awake. Unfortunately for him, Anne enters the living room and she smiles softly down at Niall before sitting next to him.

“How are you feeling, baby?” She asks gently, stroking his hair.

“My head hurts, momma,” Niall whimpers as he looks up at her.

“Well why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll give you something for that headache and you can rest in your room. And if you want I can take dinner up to you so you can rest.”

Niall nods and sits up on the couch, going to follow Anne up the stairs when Louis and Harry walk into the room. Harry goes to say something but Niall shakes his head and runs up the stairs after Anne. Anne hands Niall two small pills and a glass of water and then leaves the room after kissing his head. Niall sighed and grabbed his phone. He had a missed call from Liam, three from Zayn and about five each from Harry and Louis. He decided to call Liam.

“Hey princess,” Liam greeted him and Niall simply laid back against his pillows and let out a sigh.

“You knew, right?” Niall asked him, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer and just wanting to get answers for once.

“We did, but it wasn't our place to tell you. Zayn and I did tell them to to tell you, but they wouldn't listen. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, princess.”

“How long have they been together?”

“For around four months now.”

“Oh. But why wouldn’t they tell me? Did they think I wouldn’t support them or- or do they not trust me?” Niall asked Liam sadly, voice cracking as he tried holding back his tears and he heard Liam sigh on the other end.

“Ni, they do trust you, princess. They just wanted to wait a bit because they made you their first priority. You weren’t okay when you got here and they wanted to wait and see how well you did with the therapy sessions before telling you. I’m sure they meant no harm in keeping it from you.”

“Can I see you and Zaynie tomorrow? Don’t wanna be with Harry and Louis,” Niall asks Liam as he strokes Peter’s fur with one hand.

“Sure, princess! We’d love to spend the day with you. Anything special in mind?”

“Um I kinda wanna try going to that diner you guys wanted to take me last time?”

“Only if you’re absolutely sure, love. We don’t want you to feel pressured to do anything,” Liam asks Niall because he doesn’t want his princess to expose himself to something if he isn’t ready to face it. Of course he knows that Niall asking to go somewhere is a big accomplishment.

“I’m sure.”

“Alright, so how about we pick you up in the morning and we spend the whole day together and we can go to the diner for lunch. Yeah?”

“Okay,” Niall giggles excitedly and soon the two hang up and Niall sighs as he settles back on his bed with Peter. “Peter, would LiLi be okay if we slept over at his place? I think he would. I don’t want to be around Harry and Louis right now. They hurt me, Peter.”

Niall would feel silly talking to his bear, but he finds that it actually helps and comforts him a bit. And through all these years, Peter has been the one to listen to his secrets, listen to him cry, but most importantly, bring him comfort.

Niall didn’t want to, but in the end he decided to head downstairs for dinner and was more than glad to find out that Louis had gone home. Anne smiled when he entered the kitchen.

“You wanna eat here, baby?” Anne asked him and Niall nodded.

Harry went to go say something, but Niall turned his back to the curly haired lad even though it hurt him to pretend that he wasn’t in the room. Dinner was awkward and silent. Niall kept his head down looking at his food at all times and only ever talked to Anne.

“Momma?” Niall called as he looked up at her.

“Yeah, baby?” She answered.

“Can I go out with Liam and Zaynie tomorrow?”

“Sure love, are you going to be spending the night with one of them?”

“Probably.”

“Okay, well just call me if you do and be safe, yeah?” Anne told Niall who nodded with a soft smile.

After dinner, Niall helped Anne with the dishes and then wished her a goodnight before heading up to his room, completely ignoring Harry. Sleeping is a nightmare, quite literally. He manages to fall asleep right away, but he wakes up nearly four hours later because of a nightmare and all he wants is Harry’s comfort, but he doesn’t bother getting up because he’s still hurt and angry and so he sits in his room clutching Peter with the bedside table lamp on. He falls asleep again at nearly five in the morning and wakes up to his phone going off with Zayn calling him and he gasps when he sees the time. It’s nearing eleven.

“Hello?” Niall answers tiredly as he lays on his back not wanting to move.

“Babes, were you still sleeping?” Zayn asks with a chuckle and Niall hums as an answer. “Well Liam called you about an hour ago, but we’re on our way to pick you up now so I suggest you start getting ready and then we can head out for lunch if you’re still up for it.”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh and Liam wants to know if you want to sleep over at his place. I’m staying over and we can stay up watching movies and doing whatever you want.”

“Yeah! That sounds fun!” Niall exclaimed as he sat up and got out of bed, going over to his closet to pull out some jeans.

“Alright. We’ll be there in around ten-ish minutes.”

“Okay!” Niall said and hung up shortly after.

Niall was brushing his teeth after changing when the doorbell goes off downstairs and he hopes that at least Harry’s home. He sighs when he hears two different voices downstairs and he spits into the sink. After that he grabbed his converse and sat on his bed to put them on, looking up when there was a knock on his door and Liam and Zayn both stood there with a smile.

“Ready to go, princess?” Liam asked as he walked into the room.

“Um yeah, just need to pack my bag,” Niall said as he tied his left shoe while Zayn walked over to tie his right one.

“I’ll do that for you, just tell me what you want and where everything is.”

“Um my t-shirts are in that drawer,” Niall said as he pointed at the top drawer of his dresser. “And just pull out any jeans from my closet.”

“There, all done,” Zayn said as he finished tying Niall’s shoe and stood up, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Thank you!” Niall exclaimed and hopped up to help Liam with the rest.

Soon all three were heading downstairs with Zayn holding Niall’s baby blue backpack packed with overnight clothes, a clean set for tomorrow and Peter.

“H, we’re leaving!” Liam called out seeing as Zayn was upset with Harry as well.

“Alright,” Harry said as he walked over to Liam since Zayn and Niall had headed out and were waiting by the car for Liam to walk out. “Take care of him, yeah? And call me if he needs anything. Did you pack his inhaler? I noticed yesterday he was breathing kinda funny.”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Just give him time, he’s really hurt right now,” Liam told Harry who nodded and let out a sigh. “I’ll bring him back safe and sound tomorrow.”

Harry nodded and closed the front door after Liam left. Liam smiled at the two boys outside who were discussing about who knows what.

“Alright boys, ready to go?” Liam asked them as he unlocked the car.

“Yeah! I’m starving,” Niall moaned out as he climbed in the backseat with his bag beside him.

Niall talks to the two through the whole drive to the diner and doesn’t even flinch when they reach the place. He walks in excitedly in between Zayn and Liam and the three are lead to a booth by a window and Niall sits with Zayn with Liam across from them. The waiter hands them the menus and they order something to drink.

“So what would our princess like to do today?” Liam asks the blonde who shrugs.

“Not sure, just wanna spend the day with you two and we can't really be outside since it’s windy and looks like it's gonna rain any minute,” Niall says as he stares out the window and up into the dark clouds.

“True. We can go back to mine and just chill out. Parents are at work and my sisters don't live at home anymore,” Liam told them.

“Sounds good.”

Their waiter returned with their drinks and they order their food and chat as they wait. Niall’s really enjoying his time out and all though he does feel a bit nervous, he likes this. He likes being able to see something else other than a house or the backyard. He likes seeing strange people he’ll most likely never see in his life again.

“Do you see Adrianna this week?” Liam asked the blonde.

“Yeah! Depends how she sees me and if she says I’m doing a lot better than she’ll have me go in every two weeks or so,” Niall replied with a large smile as he grabbed his straw and stirred the ice in his soda.

“Well that’s great, princess! I’m glad you’re doing so much better,” Zayn said as he smiled over at Niall who blushed lightly at his compliment. “You look a lot better too than the first time we saw you. Healthier, too.”

“I feel like a different person too, or at least I like to think that. The scars will always be there, you know? But it’s gotten easier. I'm not so afraid all the time.”

“We’re proud of you, hope you know that,” Liam says and both him and Zayn smile when the blush on Niall’s cheeks gets darker.

“Thanks,” Niall mumbled shyly and ducked his head down to take a sip of his drink.

Lunch was fun and Niall was glad he was hanging out with Liam and Zayn because ever since he got back, Harry’s always been there and honestly it feels good but also Niall misses him. He's stubborn though and hurt so he's gotta get used to not having Harry and Louis around for awhile.

“Alright, we ready to go?” Liam asks an hour later.

“Ugh, I'm stuffed,” Niall groans as he rubs his stomach and Zayn makes a noise of agreement while Liam rolls his eyes.

“Then you shouldn't have had the chocolate cake and chocolate shake after that order of cheeseburger and fries,” Liam scolded the two since they'd ordered the same thing.

“Well I was starving and it all looked so good,” Niall complained as Zayn slides out of the booth and he follows shortly after as Liam leaves money on the table as a tip and they head off to pay.

Liam only chuckled and shook his head. Soon all three were at Liam’s and Niall heads upstairs to drop his bag off in Liam’s room. He walks in and sets his bag by Liam’s desk where there’s a picture of all five of them shortly after they met. Niall was in the middle of Harry and Liam with Louis on Harry’s other side and Zayn on Liam’s other side. They all had big smiles on their faces and the blonde sighed.

“You okay?” Liam asks as he walks in.

“Yeah, just looking at this picture. Do all of you have pictures of us as children in your rooms? Louis has a lot in his room and the tree house and Harold has a few taped to his wall.”

“Yeah well it was our way of remembering you and the easier times we had. I think Zayn has one from our first day of school and we all have a copy of you smiling at the camera and showing off your missing two front teeth,” Liam explains with a chuckle and Niall giggles. “It was hard after you left. We kinda drifted apart a bit. Louis took up soccer surprisingly, Zayn art, Harry had a new group of friends and I was probably the only one trying to keep us together.”

“Oh,” Niall mumbled but knew better than to feel guilty.

He simply walked over to Liam and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. He buried his face into Liam’s chest and smiled when Liam’s arms wrapped around him.

“You're too nice, you know? If it would have been me in your shoes, I would have given up,” Niall said as he pulled back a bit to look at Liam who was smiling down at him.

“I'm sure you wouldn’t have, you're stubborn,” Liam said with a chuckle. “Now let's go with Zayn before he gets all moody.”

Niall giggled and held Liam’s hand as they headed downstairs where Zayn was sitting on a couch flipping through the channels on the TV.

“Zayn, just settle on something,” Liam groaned.

“Well I'm sorry Payno but there's nothing to watch,” Zayn groaned, tossing the remote over to Liam as Niall settled into Zayn’s side with a quiet giggle.

Liam simply rolled his eyes and smiled at the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was meh, but I want you all to know that i've gone ahead and made like a rough draft for each chapter and I can inform you that there are 40 chapters, meaning we're already a little more than halfway done with the story. And also I promise to not put it on hold again :)


	25. Cold Shoulder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh knock it off, I'm sick tired of you acting like a child. I've said sorry, what else do you want?” Harry asked Niall angrily and Gemma looked between the two feeling lost.

It's been nearly a week since Niall found out about Louis and Harry and he's still ignoring the two. He knows he's being a bit childish, but he doesn't really care. They hurt him and he's tired of being hurt. He's spent most of his time in his room reading or hanging out with Liam and Zayn, but now he's excited because he gets to see his brother and Bressie again. They arrived yesterday evening, but Niall had had a bad day and had been in his room not wanting to see anyone. Now he felt much better and was getting dressed to head out. Niall didn't really know how he was going to get there because Anne was at work, Liam was off visiting his own sister, Ruth, and Zayn had promised to take his younger sisters out and there was no way in hell Niall was asking Harry for a ride.

Suddenly he heard the doorbell go off and he frowned. The door opened and Niall walked out into the hall to better hear who it was. He heard Harry’s excited tone and then a female one which Niall guessed was probably Gemma since she was supposed to arrive today.

The blonde merely shrugged and went back to his room to put on a jacket over his white t-shirt. He grabbed his phone, wallet and keys and began to head downstairs, hoping to avoid the Styles siblings, but Gemma unfortunately spotted him.

“Niall?” She called a bit excitedly.

“Gemma!” Niall cried and walked over to hug her tight.

“Oh love, you're so cute! I wish I had a pocket sized Nialler so I could take you everywhere with me!” She cooed as she hugged him tight before pulling away to examine him. “Going somewhere?”

“Just on a walk. Wanna get some fresh air,” Niall lied.

“It's kinda cold out, you sure you wanna wear those shorts?”

“I'll be fine.”

Niall’s eyes landed on Harry who was looking at him a bit suspiciously but he ignored it and smiled up at Gemma.

“Well okay, but you sure you don't want me to drive you anywhere instead?” She asked curiously.

“Tempting, but no thank you. Just stay here and relax, catch up with your brother because I'm sure he's got quite a lot to tell you,” Niall told her a bit sarcastically and Harry scoffed.

“Oh knock it off, I'm sick tired of you acting like a child. I've said sorry, what else do you want?” Harry asked Niall angrily and Gemma looked between the two feeling lost.

“Oh so I'm a child now. Is that why you couldn't tell me about you and Louis? Because you look at me like a little kid?! I'm fifteen, I would have been able to handle the truth,” and with that, Niall stormed out of the house and began to walk.

Niall typed in the address to Bressie’s place on the GPS on his phone and realized he'd have to either walk for over half an hour or find some sort of transportation. Though he figured the walk would do him some good so he kept walking down streets and past houses and a few shops and even a school. He walked past people and cars and tried his hardest not to freak out. He regretted not calling a taxi or something. His chest was beginning to feel tight again and he patted his pockets until he found his inhaler and kept a hold of it in one hand as he searched for a bench to sit on and rest for a bit.

"Hey mate, are you alright?" Someone asked and Niall jumped a bit, looking up at a familiar redhead guy.

"Um yeah, just sitting here," Niall replied a bit nervously.

"Wait, Niall?"

"Ed?"

The two smiled and Niall stood up to hug the redhead who was laughing as he hugged the blonde tightly before pulling away.

"I'd heard from Harold that you were back. The blonde suits ya," Ed told Niall, the two sitting back down on the bench.

"Thanks." Niall grinned.

"You sure you're okay? You sound a little wheezy," Ed asked in concern as Niall placed a hand over his chest which still felt incredibly tight. Ed still remembered Niall’s asthma from the many times he’d seen the blonde use his inhaler when they were younger.

"Yeah it's just, it's windy and I've been walking too much," Niall assured Ed, ready to use his inhaler since it was getting harder to breath now.

"Well where are you going? You're far from Harold's and I can drive you if you want."

"Wouldn't wanna bother."

"Nonsense, now come on, I'll drive you," Ed said as he helped Niall up and took him to his car.

Niall thanked him and got in the passenger seat, telling Ed where to drop him off. He was only three blocks away, but honestly Niall didn't know if he would have been able to make it. During the drive, the two talked and joked around and pretty soon Ed pulled up in front of the apartment building Bressie was living in.

"Thank you for the ride!" Niall tells Ed.

"Anytime, mate! You've got my number so if you need a ride back just call me and I'll gladly come pick you up," Ed tells him and Niall thanks him again before getting out of the car and heading inside.

He took the elevator much to his dismay up to the fourth floor because really he wouldn't have made it if he took the stars. Niall sighed and knocked on Bressie's door and waited for a bit. The door opened and Niall smiled when he saw his brother standing there.

“Hi Greg!” Niall greeted him excitedly, wrapping his skinny arms around his brother who laughed and hugged him back tightly.

“Hey kid, I’ve missed you,” Greg says as he pulls back to look at his baby brother. “I’m so glad you’re doing great. You look great.”

“Thanks, I feel a lot better here.”

Greg let Niall step inside and suddenly Bressie walked out and smiled wide at the tiny blonde. In a matter of seconds Niall had jumped into the taller man’s arms and was hugging him tight as Bressie laughed and spun the short blonde around.

“Missed ya, Bress!” Niall giggles once he’s set on the ground.

“Missed ya too, kiddo. London treating you right, then?” Bressie asked as they all moved to sit in the living room, Niall next to his brother.

“Yeah, just had a small fight with Louis and Harry,” Niall said sadly with a shrug. “And I haven’t really wanted to be around them.”

“Did Anne bring you then?” Greg asked worriedly, running his hands through his brother’s blonde hair.

“No, I walked for half and an old friend of mine, Ed, brought me the rest of the way.”

“Niall, you were crazy to think that you could walk all the way over here. It’s pretty far and dangerous and not to mention that you sound a little wheezy there, bud,” Greg scolded his brother.

“I know, but Liam and Zayn were busy and I had no one else to ask. Besides, I thought the walk would do me some good.”

Niall sat and had a nice day with his brother and Bressie, the three going out for dinner at Nando’s when Niall’s phone rang. He saw that it was Anne calling him so he decided to answer.

“Hi momma,” Niall greeted her, tracing random shapes on the table as he waited to hear her scolding.

“Niall,” she sighed and Niall sank down in his seat a bit. “Sweetie, I get that you wanted to see your brother, but you should have waited until I got home so I could drive you. You can’t just walk out like that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine love, just don’t do it again or at least text me to tell me where you go. Are you gonna come home soon?” Anne asked Niall.

“Um I’m out at dinner with the lads and I don’t know. I’ll call you though,” Niall told her.

“Alright. Be good and take care of yourself.”

“Will do, bye momma,” Niall told her and hung up his phone.

“Was that Anne? Did you get in trouble?” Greg teased his younger brother and Niall had honestly missed him a lot. “Why don’t you stay with us tonight?”

“Can I?!” Niall asked excitedly and Bressie laughed as he nodded. “But I need my stuff. You know I can’t sleep without Peter.”

“Don’t worry, we can go to Anne’s so you can get your things,” Bressie reassured the blonde who nodded and thanked him.

Niall had a blast during dinner and afterwards, Bressie drove him to Anne’s and he called his second mom to inform her of his plans. Anne agreed to let the blonde spend the night with his brother and friend knowing that Niall had missed them and it would do Niall some good to be with his family.

“Do you guys wanna come in?” Niall asked once they reached Anne’s place.

“I’ll wait out here, need to make some work related calls,” Bressie told the blonde.

“I’ll go in, say hi to Anne and tell her somethings,” Greg said as he got out of the car with Niall and the two headed up to the front door where Niall used his key to unlock it.

They stepped inside and immediately heard laughing coming from the living room. Niall felt a bit sad, wishing he was with them. The laughing stopped and it fell silent when Niall closed the door and called out for Anne.

“Came for your stuff?” Anne asked the blonde with a smile.

“Yeah,” Niall told her.

“Hi Anne,” Greg greeted Anne who walked over to hug him.

“Oh look at you! You've grown so much!” Anne gushed as she lead Greg over to the kitchen so they could talk and meanwhile Niall headed upstairs to his room to pack an overnight bag.

He grabbed his usual bag and packed his pajamas, a fresh set of clothes for tomorrow, toothbrush and he set his bag on the bed before grabbing Peter and stuffing him gently. His bear was old and Niall hated to think that he might not have it someday. There was a small tear on its left arm that Maura had meant to fix but never got around to.

"You spending the night with your brother?" Came Gemma's voice from the doorway and it made Niall jump and drop his bag in fright. "Sorry, should have knocked or something."

"No it's fine, and yeah. Haven't seen him in over a month you know, really missed him and he's only here for a week so yeah," Niall told her with a smile as he zipped up his bag to the point where only Peter's head stuck out. "How have you been? It's been awhile."

"Quite a long while," Gemma laughed. "And I'm doing great and I'm glad to see that you are too. Harry and mom have told me how you were when you first got here."

"Yeah I almost feel like a different person. The lads have really helped with everything and I really owe them and your mom a lot."

"Look, I don't want to get between whatever happened between you, Harry and Louis, but this whole ignoring each other is kinda childish. You guys are fifteen and sixteen, shouldn't you be mature about this and talk it out?" Gemma suggested and Niall sighed as he placed his inhaler in a small pocket of his backpack.

"You don't think this hurts? That I get here feeling like a total stranger and soon they make me feel like I never left, but they keep their relationship away from me? I feel even more lost now, I just don't get why they would do that? Like I could have handled it and it would have been better if they told me the truth instead of hiding it from me just because I'm a little fragile. The thing that hurts is that Louis lead me on saying we were still boyfriends and it hurts because I really like them both more than I should," Niall confessed to her and Gemma walked over to pull the blonde into a hug.

"You should all talk this out because you can't stay mad at them forever. I'm sure they didn't mean too," she said as she placed a kiss to Niall's head before pulling away to look at him. "Now you go and have fun with your brother and once you come back, you and I are going shopping, deal?"

"Deal," Niall giggled and grabbed his bag before following Gemma down the stairs.

"Alright love, take care of yourself," Anne said as she brushed back Niall's hair. "You have your inhaler right? And everything else you need?"

"Yes, don't worry," Niall told her with a smile and Gemma and Greg both stood back watching in amusement.

"Good. Call if something happens or whatever."

"Yes momma, don't worry."

"Greg, take care of your brother. He can be quite stubborn when he wants," Anne told Greg who laughed and pulled Niall into his arms.

"I will, now come on kid," Greg said as he lead Niall out the house and towards the car where Bressie was on his phone still in the car.

As Niall climbed into the backseat, he saw Harry from an upstairs window staring down at him and Niall quickly got in without waving or smiling up at him.

"So how about we watch movies and eat junk food when we get home? I'd invite you guys to play video games, but that's a box I still haven't unpacked," Bressie said as he began the drive back to his place.

"Sounds good with me," Niall shrugged as he played with Peter's fur.

Later that night, Niall was tucked in the guest bed with Peter and debating on whether he should send Louis and Harry a text. He really wants to talk to them, he misses them, but his pride gets in the way and sometimes Niall really hates it. He's building his walls up high and strong again because he's been hurt too much already and he's sick tired of it and he never thought two of his best friends would hurt him like this.

"What should I do, Peter?" Niall asked his bear softly as he set his phone down and watched the screen fade to black after a few seconds. "Gemma is right though and I am being childish by ignoring them."

Niall falls asleep almost an hour later and all he does is toss and turn and let out an occasional whimper as he dreams of Bobby, the nasty words he'd throw at him and the punches and kicks aimed his way. He's glad he doesn't wake up screaming, but he does wake up four hours after having gone to bed with no intentions of going back to sleep anymore. Instead he sits in bed hugging his bear with tears rolling down his cheeks as he yearns to be in Harry's arms again.

It's another two hours before Niall starts to hear Greg and Bressie moving around so he gets out of bed a bit shakily and gets ready for a new day. He washes his face and brushes his teeth and uses the toilet before heading out and plastering a smile on his face to not worry his brother and friend.

"Morning chief, sleep good?" Bressie asks the blonde.

"Yeah," Niall lies as he sits on a stool as Greg pours him some cereal and milk.

Niall nods in thanks and begins to eat as Greg asks him how his sessions with Adrianna are going. Niall replies in a positive manner and then asks about Denise, uni and his mom. Both Greg and Bressie share a look when Niall asks about Maura and he narrows his eyes suspiciously but Greg answers a bit hesitantly.

"I don't like it when people keep things from me," Niall told them after as he focused his gaze on his cereal. "I'm not that broken, I can handle the truth."

"Look, mom doesn't want us to tell you until she's ready. Just trust us on this, yeah? I'm sure Anne will tell you soon," Greg tells his little brother with a bit of a sad smile as he ruffles Niall's messy hair.

"Okay, just, it better not take too long. I have this kinda bad feeling that hasn't left me alone since I last talked to her."

After breakfast Greg heads out to take care of somethings while Niall stays with Bressie. The older and taller male had noticed the shorter blonde's mood and decided he was going to confront him about it now that Greg was gone.

"Alright, let's talk," Bressie said as he pulled Niall to sit on the couch with him.

"About what?" Niall asked in confusion.

"You're not feeling me. You look tired and you've been giving us fake smiles and I can see right through you. I know Greg wants to be pretend that you're okay for his own sake, but ignoring the problem won't make it go away," said Bressie as he looked at Niall who sighed. "Is this about the fight you had with your friends? It's affecting you more than you let on."

"I'm having nightmares again because of this problem. I-I want to forgive Louis and Harry, I really do, but it hurt that I had to find them like that. Why couldn't they just tell me they were together?" Niall wondered more to himself than Bressie, but the older man still heard him and made a thoughtful noise. "I just want some time away from them to figure things out. Get my own feelings sorted out."

*

"Anne?" Niall calls as he walks into the laundry room where she's putting clothes in the dryer.

"Oh hi sweetie, didn't hear you come home. Everything good?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but um I don't know how to say this. Um okay so my brother's only here for a week and Bressie offered to let me stay with him and well I'd like to be with Greg for the week that he's here so I'm moving in with them for a bit. I hope you don't mind? I mean, I'd like to come back if you'd let me of course but I've just really missed them and I could really use with being close to my family again," Niall rambled nervously as he played with his fingers and Anne cooed at him.

"Sweetie, I don't mind. I know how much you've missed them so of course you can go stay with them. And you can stay with them and come back whenever you want. This will always be your house, Niall. So go spend time with your brother," Anne told him, brushing back Niall's hair.

"Thank you so much," Niall said and hugged her.

"Call me just so I can know you're okay and don't forget your appointment with Adrianna later this week."

"I won't momma!" Niall told her and race off towards his room to pack.

Honestly Niall didn't know if he'd be gone a week or if he'd rather just stay with Bressie. Part of him doesn't want to go because Anne has become another mom to him and Niall would most definitely miss her the most if he decided to move in with Bressie instead, but for now he'd rather just stay the week to spend time with Greg.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked with a frown as he walked into the blonde's room only to see him shoving some clothes into a suitcase.

"Gonna stay with my brother for the week," Niall replied coldly, not even bothering to turn around and look at Harry.

"Just for the week? Because I can see you packing almost all of your stuff."

"I don't know okay? I want to live here, I do, but I need to figure somethings out on my own and being around you and your little boyfriend isn't going to help me."

"Niall, please, I just really want to talk. I want to clear this whole thing up," Harry begged.

"We will talk, but not know. I'll text you and Louis when I'm ready and don't worry about my appointment, my brother's taking me. I'll see you around Harry," Niall told the curly haired lad and walked past him with his suitcase. Niall said bye to both Gemma and Anne and then headed out where Bressie was still waiting for him.

"Ready to go?" Bressie asked him.

"Yeah," Niall sighed sadly and got in the car as Bressie placed his stuff in the trunk.

"You've got a right to be angry, you do, but maybe consider taking this from their point of view."

Niall bit his bottom lip and nodded. He was trying and he wanted to understand why they would keep this from him when Niall has been opening up to them about his past and sharing secrets. He wants to know why they wouldn't mention something so important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watching the Billboard Awards and Camila Cabello slayed her performance and I loved Miley's performance, her new song is so cute


	26. Back Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s one way to convince him,” Harry teased and Niall stuck his tongue out at Harry as he stood up.

"Can we talk?" Niall asked Harry and Louis two days later after his appointment with Adrianna. Since his nightmares had returned and he was having more bad than good days, Niall now had to see her twice a week. He was tired and knew that fixing this mess with Louis and Harry would help him out.

"Yeah," Harry said in surprise as he looked over at Louis who looked just as surprised as him. "How was your session?"

"It was okay, have to see her again in two days," Niall told them as he sat across from them on the table out in the Styles' backyard.

It was sunny for once and quite hot. Louis and Harry had been out drinking some lemonade and thinking about getting in the pool when Niall had walked towards them. The blonde hadn't been home since he left and Harry honestly didn't think he'd see Niall so soon.

"I thought you were only seeing her every other week?" Louis asked Niall worriedly, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and the blonde looked a bit thinner than the last time they'd seen him.

"That was before, now I gotta see her twice a week until I can get better again. That's not what I wanted to talk about though. I need to clear this up with you two. I don't like being mad at you, but it really hurt me. You could have just said something from the start and I wouldn't have cared. Heck, I support you two even if I had to find out in the worst way possible. I would just like for people to be honest with me. It's bad enough Greg and Bressie are hiding something from me," Niall told them as he tapped a soft rhythm on the glass table.

"Princess, we're really sorry, but we didn't want to tell you right away. We wanted to see how you were first and I guess with time it just kinda slipped our mind,” Harry told the blonde as he reached across the table to grab Niall’s hand gently.

“I’m not made of glass, I could have handled it.”

“We’re sorry we messed up, love. We didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Yeah and we’ll do anything for you,” Louis chimed in with a soft smile and Niall shook his head.

“You don’t have to do anything for me.”

“Then will you come home soon? We miss having you here,” Harry said and Niall pulled his hand out of Harry’s and sighed.

“I will, once Greg leaves. For now, I’m better off with Bressie and my brother,” Niall told Harry with an apologetic smile. “I was planning on just staying with Bressie even after my brother left, but Adrianna’s helped me realize that I shouldn’t be so damn stubborn about all of this.”

“How is your brother? Everything good back home?” Louis asked, wanting to change topics.

“I don’t know, Greg won’t talk much about back home or mom.”

“Well I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, princess. I mean, she’s probably been too busy dealing with lawyers and all that.”

“True.”

Gemma walked out and smiled when she saw Niall, going over to hug him tight and kiss his cheeks which made Niall whine and the other two laugh.

“Alright princess, up and at ‘em. We’re going shopping, remember?” Gemma told Niall who whined and tried getting out of it but she was stubborn and wouldn’t take no for an answer. “I’ll buy you ice cream.”

“Fuck yeah,” Niall cheered quietly and Louis rolled his eyes.

“That’s one way to convince him,” Harry teased and Niall stuck his tongue out at Harry as he stood up.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys soon,” Niall told them as Gemma headed inside to let them say goodbye.

“Hey um, if it’s not too much to ask, can we hang out tomorrow? If you’re not busy and all,” Harry asked the blonde a little nervously and Niall smiled softly at him.

“Only if we can hang out all five of us. I’d kinda already promised Zayn and Liam we could go out tomorrow,” Niall tells the two who nod quickly. “Alright, so we’re meeting at the diner for lunch at around noon. I’ll see you two tomorrow then.”

“Bye Niall,” they both waved their princess goodbye, feeling happy that things were finally getting back to normal.

*

“So everything good with you guys?” Gemma asked as they walked into the mall.

“Yeah, had to make things right again. It hurts, it still does, but I’ve missed them a lot and what happened kinda messed with me getting better. I was having nightmares again and I have to see my therapist twice a week now.”

“You like them, don’t you?” Gemma asked Niall in a soft tone and Niall stopped walking as he looked at Gemma. “You know I wouldn’t judge you if you did. You five were always so close growing up that I honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if you all got together at some point.”

“Gemma!” Niall whined with a blush and she laughed, ruffling his hair affectionately.

“Like I said, I won’t judge you if you say that you like all four and would want something more with all of them at the same time. Honestly, would be kinda cute if you all got together since you’ve always been so close.”

“I just- it’s hard not to like them. They’ve all been so nice to me,” Niall said as they began to walk again. “It’s weird to like all four at the same time as much as I do.”

“It’s not weird, but just know that you’ve got my full support in case you guys do get in a five way relationship. Now let’s go shopping, I wanna buy you something cute for tomorrow,” Gemma told the blonde as she began to drag him to one of her favorite stores.

“Why tomorrow?”

“You are going out with them tomorrow, aren’t you? You dress nicely and make them drool for you.”

“We’re just hanging out though, it’s not like we’re going on a date,” Niall told her with a blush.

“Date or not, you’re still going to leave them crazy over you.”

Niall sighed but followed her into the store filled with girl clothes and cute accessories like chokers and flower crowns and other things that Niall liked but was never able to have because of his father. At the end of their shopping trip, Niall went back to Bressie’s place with five bags. He bought new shoes, a bunch of new panties, some nail polish, more shorts, flower crowns and other cute things that Gemma insisted he’d look good in.

“Did you buy the whole mall?” Greg joked once his brother walked into Bressie’s house struggling to pull his bags along.

“No, Gemma just insisted I get this and that,” Niall sighed. “I’m gonna drop these off with my things, don’t need you snooping around.”

“I don’t snoop.”

Niall scoffed and headed into his temporary room, setting the bags on the bed and sorting through the different colored nail polishes he got. Really, who knew there could be so many colors to choose from?

Niall was putting his new clothes away in his bag when his phone went off with a new text from his, Zayn and Liam’s group chat.

 **From Liam:** H and L told us they’re going to come along tomorrow?

 **From Zayn:** guessing you guys made up then.

 **From Niall:** yeah I talked to them today and they wanted to spend some time with me so I invited them, hope u don’t mind??

 **From Liam:** course we don’t, princess, we’re really glad you guys are okay then

 **From Niall:** yeah i’m glad too

*

Niall wakes up early and has breakfast with his brother and best friend before heading back to his room to get ready for his day with the boys. He can’t decide on what to wear because a small part of him really wants to impress them. He grabs his white jean shorts that he bought yesterday and a black and white striped long sleeved shirt. He also puts on the new vans he got yesterday and thinks about whether or not he wants a flower crown. In the end he shakes his head and grabs his phone and wallet before heading downstairs.

“Do you have your inhaler? You are not leaving this house without it,” Greg threatens his younger brother who begins to whine.

“But Greg, I've been doing better these last two days,” Niall whines childishly.

“I don't care, go get it or you are not going anywhere.”

Niall made his way back to the room grumbling under his breath and grabs his inhaler which was on the nightstand. He heads back out and shows Greg his inhaler before leaving the house with the promise to not be out too late. Outside Niall is met with Liam who is picking him up.

“What took you so long?” Liam asked curiously as he backed out.

“Greg wouldn't let me leave without my inhaler so I had to go back and get it,” Niall explained.

“Well good thing you brought it, wouldn’t want something happening,” Liam said as he looked over at Niall briefly.

“I guess. Are we gonna go eat now? I’m hungry.”

“Yeah yeah, the others should be there by now. I hope. Zayn was just getting out of bed when I called him about an hour ago,” Liam told Niall with a sigh and the blonde giggled and shook his head.

When they reached the diner, Harry’s car was in the parking lot but not Zayn’s so they guessed the lad would be late, which wasn’t a surprise. Niall held Liam’s hand as they walked inside and found Harry and Louis already at a booth sitting together. It made Niall feel a bit jealous, but he just smiled and tugged at Liam to sit with him.

“Zayn’s still not here, huh?” Liam asked as a way to break the silence.

“Nope. I’m not surprised, really,” Harry answered with a shrug as they all looked through the menu.

Zayn walked in five minutes later saying sorry but they all knew he didn’t really mean it. He simply sat next to Liam so he was between Niall and himself and soon the waiter came over to take their order. Soon the five were engaged in a conversation and laughing as if nothing had happened. They ate happily and soon when it was time to leave, they all pitched in to help pay.

“So where to now?” Harry asked as they stood around outside in the parking lot, bringing his glasses down to cover his eyes.

“We can go to that park we went to last year, the one with the lake,” Zayn suggested and the three others agreed, Niall did too though he didn’t know where they were really going which made him feel a little left out.

Niall rode with Liam again with the music playing and occasional talking from the two. Niall was staring out the window watching the scenery go by and dozing off every now and then. That park was far and they should have warned Niall because he really needed to pee.

“How much longer?” Niall asked Liam in a whiny voice as he squirmed around in his seat.

“Just ten more minutes, Ni. Can you hold it?” Liam asked the blonde who rolled his eyes.

“You better pray that I do because I feel like I’m about to burst.”

Liam chuckled and shook his head as he kept driving. Niall keeps up his whining and Liam lets out a sigh of relief when they reach the park and Niall quickly hops out of the car, looking around desperately for the bathrooms. He spots them not too far away and takes off running with Liam shaking his head as he locks his car and waits for the others to park and get out.

“Where’s Niall headed off to with so much urgency?” Zayn asks as he stands beside Liam, leaning against the car as they wait for the blonde to return.

“Had to pee and was driving me crazy,” Liam explains and Louis giggles.

Niall walked out of the bathroom with his phone pressed to his ear and the closer he got, the better they could make out his annoyed face.

“Shut up, Greg,” Niall said and the others snickered as Niall finally stood in front of them. “I’ll be fine, the lads know how to handle something like that. Yeah, bye.”

“Everything good?” Harry asked the blonde who nodded and put his phone away in his back pocket.

“Yeah, just Greg being a mom,” Niall said with a roll of his eyes. “So what now? Are we all just going to stand here and greet the people who come?”

“Chill, your highness. Let’s go find a nice spot and we brought extra clothes in case anyone wants to swim,” Harry said as he motions to the trunk of his car.

Niall stuck his tongue out at Harry and instead walked over to hold Zayn’s hand as they walked over to find a nice spot for them near the water. The place was relatively empty, just a family of three sitting at a picnic table, a lady walking her dog and two guys throwing a frisbee back and forth. They sat at a picnic table underneath a tree and close to the water. Niall sat next to Zayn with Liam, Harry and Louis across from them as they stared out into the water.

“You excited to start school again?” Liam asked the blonde, breaking him away from his thoughts and turn to look at him.

“Um I guess. I mean I was homeschooled for six years and I was bullied when we did go to school together, so yeah super excited,” Niall answered in a bit of a sarcastic voice and Louis giggled while Zayn hit his thigh lightly.

“You’ll be fine.”

They all just sat and talked for a few more minutes until eventually Niall grew bored and got up to go down by the water. He figured it had been a bad day to wear his new shoes, so to avoid getting them even more dirty with sand and mud, he left them by the picnic table. He gasped a little as the cold water reached his feet, but quickly grew used to it.

He really wishes his mom was here with him. He wishes it could be him, his mom and Greg together again as a family now that Bobby was finally out of their lives. He wishes he still weren’t so afraid.

“You okay?” Louis asked as he walked over to the blonde, he too barefoot and standing next to Niall who was staring out into the endless water.

“I wanna be able to say that I am okay, but maybe someday when I really know that all this is over,” Niall said as he smiled softly over at Louis who reached out to grab his hand. Niall smiled a bit wider and laced his fingers with Louis’.

“I’m sure that’ll be soon, Ni,” Louis spoke softly as he leaned over to press a soft kiss to Niall’s cheek. “I’m sorry for hurting you. Harry and I don’t want you to feel like we don’t care or trust you, we really do, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you with something like this.”

“I understand, Lou and you don’t need to keep apologizing, really,” Niall giggled as he looked over at Louis and swung their hands back and forth.

“Hey, what if we celebrate our birthday together this year, like we did when we were kids?” Louis suggested with a smile. “We can throw a party, after all, we are turning sixteen.”

“That sounds like fun!”

Suddenly Niall kicked his foot up and splashed Louis who gasped in shock before splashing him back.

“Look at the children,” Harry sighed fondly as he looked over at the two youngest who were still splashing each other, laughing loudly as they did so.

“You know how hard it is to not just grab Niall and kiss him?” Liam asked with a groan as he folded his arms on the table and put his head on them.

“Tell me about it,” Harry grumbled.

“His ass looks so fine in those shorts though,” Zayn mumbled as he kept his gaze on Niall who was tackled down onto the water by Louis.

“Him and Louis have got some fine asses.”

“At least you get to touch Louis’ ass.”

“Alright you horny lads, let’s not pop boners right now and let’s go with the other two before they drown each other,” Liam interrupted them as he got up and began to head down towards the lake.

The five we soaked from head to toe before they decided to call it a day since the wind was picking up and both Niall and Louis were shivering and the other three didn’t want their princesses getting sick.

“Here, go change so you don’t get sick,” Harry told the two younger boys as he handed them a bag with extra clothes.

Louis nodded and took the bag, him and Niall heading off towards the bathroom to change. Soon the group of five were on their way back home with Niall riding with Zayn this time.

“You had fun today?” Zayn asked Niall, rubbing Niall’s thigh through the leggings he was wearing.

“Yeah, a lot. I really enjoy spending time with the five of you,” Niall answered with a blush, biting his lips as Zayn gave his thigh a soft squeeze.

“So things between you and Harry and Louis okay then? You’re not still mad at them are you?”

“Mad no, but maybe a little hurt. It was quite a shock to see the two… like that. They hid it so well while I was around that I never would have thought there would be more between them.”

“Honestly it was a shock for Liam and I as well when they told us. They said it had started off as a friends with benefits kind of thing and they didn’t even realize when they were acting more like a couple than friends.”

“They don’t act much like a couple though, I hope they’re not holding back because of me,” Niall said as he looked over at Zayn who now had both hands on the wheel as he drove.

“They’re not, they’ve just never been overly affectionate. The most they do in public is maybe give each other small pecks on the lips, but that’s about it. Liam and I have never seen them fully making out or whatever,” Zayn answered with a shrug.

They all pulled up outside of Bressie’s house to say goodbye to Niall who hugged them all, Harry and Louis a little more because he’d missed them and he wanted to reassure them that he was okay with the two of them.

“I’ll see you soon, yeah?” Niall told Harry who nodded.

Niall stayed outside until they all left before Niall headed inside.

“Weren’t you wearing something else when you left?” Is the first thing Greg asks when Niall walks into the house.

“I was, but we went to the lake my other clothes got wet,” Niall replied as he headed towards the kitchen for something to eat.

“Don’t be so uptight, Greg, let the kid have fun,” came Bressie’s voice and Niall smiled.

“Right. Ni, can you come here?” Greg called and Niall groaned because he was about to make himself a sandwich, but he headed over to the living room where he noticed Greg’s things packed and ready to go.

“A-Are you leaving?” Niall asked a little sadly.

“I’m sorry, kiddo, but I have to get back sooner than I thought. There’s something that I need to take care off back home, but I already called Anne to explain to her a few things and she’ll tell you everything in a few days when I call her,” Greg said as he stood up and headed over to his little brother who still looks rather down about him leaving.

“Is she finally going to tell me why you’ve all been so secretive with me?”

“Everything, but I need you to promise me that you’ll keep going to your therapies and don’t shut your friends out again,” Greg said as he placed a hand on Niall’s shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. “Keep getting better.”

“I promise,” Niall said a little quietly because quite honestly he was getting quite scared at what Anne had to tell him and Greg looked a little worn down, like he’d suddenly aged drastically within the last few hours.

“Anything you need, you know Bressie’s still here.”

“Yeah chief, you can always come to me as well. We’re family, yeah?” Bressie told the blonde, smiling over at the small Irish lad.

Niall nodded and wrapped his arms around Greg, hugging him tight and feeling a tear roll down his cheek. Greg hugged him back tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“Anne said you can move back in whenever you’re ready.”

Niall nodded but didn’t let go of his brother. His brother who would be leaving again and Niall didn’t know when he’d see him again. His brother who did so much for him and Niall grew up seeing Greg as his superhero from the countless times he defended him from Bobby.

“When do you leave?” Niall asked as he pulled away, sandwich long forgotten as he took a seat on a couch next to Greg, pulling his sock covered feet onto the couch and wrapping his arms around his legs.

“In four hours.”

And those four hours came a little too quickly and soon Niall was leaving the airport with Bressie after seeing Greg off. Niall was leaning into Bressie’s side as he walked with the older man’s arm around his shoulders.

“I miss him already,” Niall mumbled as he climbed into Bressie’s car.

“It’ll be fine, kiddo, you’ll see him soon, but just remember to keep your promise.”

Niall at the moment didn’t understand why it was so important to keep it or how bad the secret everyone seemed to be keeping from him was, but he only hoped things would clear up soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't really like my dad's side of the family and I had to spend the day with them today because some relatives came to visit from Florida and all I heard all damn day was "Oh Eli! Haven't seen you in so long!" yeah I know, it's for a fucking reason


	27. The News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Niall sweetheart, we need to talk about something," Anne said with a sigh as she walked into the blonde's room where he'd been writing in his journal.

Everything had been going great and Niall was happy and enjoying his summer with his boys, but the happiness couldn’t last much longer when Anne received a letter in the mail. It was a yellow envelope with the official papers telling her that she was now Niall’s legal guardian. It was now July and Anne knew time was running out.

She got the call from Greg three days after receiving the official papers and her heart broke at the news and how the hell she was going to tell Niall. Niall who was happy and doing so much better now.

"Niall sweetheart, we need to talk about something," Anne said with a sigh as she walked into the blonde's room where he'd been writing in his journal.

"What is it, momma?" Niall asked worriedly as he set his journal and pen aside to focus his attention on Anne who looked at him sadly as she sat on the bed and reached out to stroke his cheek.

"Baby, I need you to be strong for this, it's about your mom."

"What's wrong with my mom? Is this what everyone's been hiding from me?" Niall asked in a slightly hysterical tone.

"Yes love. Your mom, she uh, there's really no easy way to say this and trust me I wish this was something that didn't exist, but your mom, she has cancer baby."

"W-What? B-But she's gonna be okay, right?" Niall asked Anne, eyes filling up with tears and breathing getting heavier.

"Your brother called me earlier and I'm sorry, but the doctors say she's got very little time left. She's so weak now, baby," Anne told Niall, watching as the small blonde broke down in silent tears. "She- She made me your legal guardian and your brother agrees it'd be for the best if you stay with me so you're not close to Bobby."

"Has to be a lie," Niall whispered as he wrapped his arms around himself as tears kept pouring down his cheeks.

"Wish it was, Ni."

And just like that, Niall began to cry loudly and Anne was quick to pull him into her arms, wishing she could take his pain away. Just wishing life would be fair for once and give Niall the happiness he deserved after everything that's happened.

"Mom? What's going on?" Harry asked worriedly as he stepped into the room and seeing Niall crying into his mom's arms.

"Can you stay with Niall? I need to make a call," Anne told her son who nodded and walked over to take her spot.

Anne gave them one last glance before walking out of Niall's room already dialing Greg's number.

"What happened, princess?" Harry asked as he held Niall on his lap and rubbing his back, pressing occasional kisses to his head.

"M-My mom! D-Dying!" Was all Niall managed to choke out and Harry’s eyes widened, really hoping he heard wrong but with the way Niall was crying, he realized it had to be true.

“Princess, you gotta calm down for me,” Harry said worriedly as he realized Niall was struggling to get air into him. “You’re gonna have an asthma attack if you don’t.”

“C-Can’t,” Niall choked out, clutching at Harry’s shirt tightly as he made gasping sounds and Harry cursed under his breath as he reached over to Niall’s nightstand where his inhaler was.

“Here, princess,” Harry said as he helped Niall with his inhaler, wincing as Niall coughed and sobbed loudly, fearing he would end up being sick.

Eventually the blonde is fast asleep after nearly an hour and Harry covers him up with a blanket and places Peter in his arms before going out to find his mom who is downstairs with Gemma who looks sad. They both look up when Harry enters the room and he sits next to his sister.

“He fell asleep,” Harry tells his mom who nods.

“Good, he’s going to need the rest and all the support right now,” Anne tells her son, her eyes red.

“Is Maura really dying?” Harry asks her.

“Unfortunately. Greg called me this morning saying that the doctor told him that it’d be best if they pull the plug. She’s really weak now and has only been alive because of the machines and Greg wants Niall to go up and say goodbye.”

“That would be for the best, but, what about Bobby? Wouldn’t Niall be in danger in case he ran into him?” Gemma asked her mom worriedly. She doesn’t want Niall to be put in danger, she loves him like another little brother.

“Well Bobby’s got a restraining order against him so he can’t get close enough to Niall to hurt him, besides, he wouldn’t be alone. I’d be going with him and if you guys and the other lads would want to go as well, to support Niall.”

“Of course I wanna go and I’ll tell the lads too. But uh, when would we leave?”

“He has an appointment tomorrow with Adrianna and I really don’t want him to miss that so I’m hoping the day after tomorrow. Gemma? Are you going to go?”

“Wish I could, but I have some school stuff to take care of right now, but as soon as I can I’ll head up there,” Gemma said and Anne nodded.

“Go call the lads, Harry and keep an eye and ear out on Niall,” Anne tells her son who nods.

Harry walks upstairs to his room already pulling his phone out to text the others in the group chat.

 **From Harry:** need u guys over @ mine ASAP !!!1!

 **From Zayn:** unless someone’s dying, let me SLEEP

 **From Harry:** well someone is dying so get your ass over here. NOW

 **From Liam:** wat? Who’s dying??

 **From Louis:** harry? What’s going on? I walked in on my mom crying half an hour ago

 **From Harry:** just get here quickly and come up to my room, but be quiet cos Niall’s sleeping

Harry sighed and set his phone down on his bed before going off to check on Niall who was still fast asleep. He walks over and places a soft kiss to Niall’s head before leaving the room and heading to his to wait for the others. It’s ten minutes later when the four walk in looking worried and Louis immediately goes over to curl up into Harry’s side.

“What’s going on?” Liam asks as he sits on the bed in front of Louis and Harry with Zayn.

“The thing that they’ve all been keeping from Niall is that Maura’s really sick and she’s dying,” Harry says, arm around Louis and pressing a kiss to the brown hair.

“What? She’s- oh my god,” Louis gasped, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth as the other two looked at Harry wide eyed, their blood having run cold at the news.

“She’s dying? Well, how much longer do you reckon she has?” Zayn asks, moving closer to Liam until their shoulders touched.

“Don’t know. Greg called mom this morning so she could tell Niall and we’re planning on going up there hopefully the day after tomorrow so Niall can go and say goodbye before they pull the plug. Niall has an appointment tomorrow with Adrianna and at this moment it’s important he doesn’t miss it,” Harry explained in a somber voice.

“What’s gonna happen to Ni? He’s not going back with Bobby, is he?” Louis asked in a frightened tone as he looked up at Harry with watery blue eyes.

“No no, my mom will be his new guardian so he’s going to be staying here. And mom wants to know if you’d all wanna come along when we head to Ireland to support and be there for Niall.”

“Of course we’ll come along!” Liam exclaimed, slightly offended that they’d even had to ask. Their princess needed them now more than ever.

Niall walked into the room an hour later hugging Peter tightly to his chest and they all smiled sadly at the blonde, Louis and Harry moving apart so the blonde could sit between them. Niall climbed on the bed silently and sat in between the two.

“Sleep okay?” Harry asked the blonde quietly

“Sort of,” Niall whispered, burying his face into Peter’s fur and taking a shaky breath.

“You don't need your inhaler again, do you?”

“No, I'll be fine.”

Liam and Zayn looked at their blonde princess sadly and Zayn reached forward to rub Niall’s leg softly. Louis bit his bottom lip and leaned over to press a kiss to Niall’s cheek, skin tasting salty from the tears.

“You know we’re here for you, yeah?” Liam told the blonde quietly, coaxing him to look up. “And we’re in this together, we’re not going to leave you alone.”

Niall nodded as he choked back another sob and the four hugged their princess tightly, reassuring him that he'd be okay and other comforting words to hopefully avoid sending him into another asthma attack.

“Boys, dinner is ready,” Anne said as she poked her head into the room awhile later, smiling softly as she saw all five in a pile of limbs with Niall giggling quietly as someone complained about an elbow into ribs and Zayn complaining about his hair being messed up.

“Coming, mom!” Harry told her with a grin from his place under Louis’ legs and Niall’s back.

“Ow, Louis!” Liam complained as he pushed his way out from underneath all of them. He really didn’t understand what had happened, but Louis had tackled him at some point and Harry joined in which had then prompted Zayn to do so as well and Louis pulled Niall along and the five had begun to wrestle on Harry’s bed, only getting more tangled up.

The five headed downstairs five minutes later and took a seat at the table with Gemma and Anne, their plates already full of food. Niall sat quietly and had maybe four bites, but then pushed his plate away and the others looked at the blonde sadly but didn’t say anything.

“May I be excused?” Niall asked Anne quietly.

“Sure baby, thank you for trying,” Anne told Niall who nodded and walked off quickly.

Niall headed up the stairs, feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

“So I’m assuming you boys are going to want to go with us to Ireland, right?” Anne told the other three once they were sure Niall wasn’t able to hear them talk.

“Yeah, he needs us right now,” Zayn told Anne.

“Good. I already talked to your mothers, but you’ll still need to ask them if it’s okay for you to head out with us. Not sure how long we’ll be in Ireland, I’m guessing two or three weeks at the most.”

“How long has she been sick?” Harry asked because it has only been a little over a month since Niall moved in with them, the blonde had to have noticed if his mom was sick.

“Unfortunately when they found out she was sick it was already too late to do anything. She said she’d been feeling a bit off around the time Bobby had sent Niall to the hospital, but with her worrying over Niall and everything she said she hadn’t thought about getting checked, but she went to the doctor’s the day after Niall left and that’s when she found out.”

“This is just so terrible for Niall,” Gemma sighs as she shakes her head.

That night Louis stays over and the three sleep in Harry’s bed with Niall in the middle hugging Peter. Louis has his legs tangled with Niall and holding one of his hands while Harry spoons the blonde with an arm around his waist.

*

In the morning Niall is getting ready for his appointment with Adrianna, feeling tired and drained emotionally. All he wants to do is lay in bed until they leave for Ireland.

“Ni, we gotta go,” Harry says softly as he pokes his head into Niall’s room, sighing a bit when he sees the blonde dressed in gray joggers and a white t-shirt. “You sure you don’t want anything to eat? You didn’t eat much for dinner last night.”

“I’m sure,” Niall tells Harry, walking over to him and grabbing his hand as they begin to walk downstairs where Louis is sitting on the couch waiting for them.

The drive to Adrianna’s office is short and quiet with Niall looking up at the blue sky. In the waiting room he sits with his left leg bouncing up and down and he’s biting at his nails, jumping in his seat when his name is called. He heads into Adrianna’s office with one glance at his two boys and takes in a deep breath.

“How are you, Niall?” She asks the blonde, watching how he curls up and stares down at the ground for a minute before

“My mom is dying,” Niall finally spoke up, looking up at her through his blurry vision as the tears finally began to fall.

“Is that what your brother’s been keeping from you?”

“Y-Yeah and I can’t- I don’t wanna believe this is happening!”

“I'm sorry about your mom, sweetie, but don't let what's happening set you back. You look like you haven't slept or eaten properly and your eyes are a little swollen. You have your friends to lean on, Anne and other people that love you, you can cry on their shoulders and tell them what you're feeling. Don't be scared and don't shut them out during this hard time. This is a time where you feel vulnerable and you're going to need all the support you can get to keep you grounded,” Adrianna told Niall softly, reaching over to rub his knee, watching as he wiped his tears with the back of his hand.

“I-I know and Greg made me promise I wouldn't. It's what my mom would want anyways. For me to keep working on getting better, but I always thought she'd be here soon to see me keep growing and be proud of where I'm getting.”

“But she'll always be with you, Niall. Just like she was looking out for you while sending you to London, she'll keep doing the same even if she is no longer physically here.”

Niall walked out of Adrianna’s office after his hour was up feeling a bit lighter. Of course he still feels horrible over what's happening and just thinking about how his mom won't be around for his birthday or Christmas or see him finish school or start his own family makes him want to just give up and cry. All he'd wanted was for his family to be together again.

“Ready to go, princess?” Harry asked once Niall stood in front of him and Louis.

“Yeah,” Niall whispers, sniffling slightly and offering them a weak smile.

Louis grabs Niall’s hand and the trio make their way out of the building in silence.

*

Niall is quiet. So quiet it hurts Harry because his princess is hurting and there's not anything he can do to take away his pain. Anne tells Harry to give him some space so Niall doesn't feel like he's trapped or being forced to acknowledge his feelings out loud. But Niall doesn't eat lunch and only heads down to dinner because Anne forced him too.

He doesn't eat much of the vegetable soup Anne made. A few spoonfuls, a sip of his drink and he was gone with his bowl still full and three worried glances thrown his way.

*

“Sweetie, I got the tickets,” Anne said as she walked into Niall’s room where the small blonde was sitting on his bed holding Peter to his chest and looking absolutely miserable. He was pale, hair was a mess, dark circles were under his eyes which were red and swollen from crying.

“When are we leaving?” He asked, voice hoarse and looking up at her with the most heartbreaking expression Anne has seen in awhile.

“Tomorrow at noon so get packing. The other three are on the same flight as well so don't worry, yeah?"

"Thank you," Niall tells her and she nods before leaving.

Niall gets up from his bed and stumbles a bit because he went twenty four hours without eating and only just barely ate enough to be able to taste the food. He shakes it off and pulls out his suitcase and begins to shove clothes in. As he does so, his phone goes off and he takes in a deep breath when he sees Greg's name flashing across the screen.

"Greg?" Niall chokes out, sitting on the ground with his knees up to his chest.

"Hi kiddo," Greg greets him with a hoarse voice and Niall loses it. He starts to cry with the phone still held up to his ear and just barely able to hear Greg telling him to calm down. "Don't want you getting sick, kid, try to calm down, yeah?"

"M-Mom? H-How is she?" Niall asks after a while, scared of hearing the answer but wants to know if she's still alive.

"She's still here, says she really wants to see you." The _before she leaves_ is left unsaid but Niall knew that's what his older brother meant. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner, but she knew you would have wanted to come back and the restraining order still wasn't in place and Anne still wasn't your guardian so Bobby would have fought back to keep you."

"I-I understand," Niall whispers, staring at the lilac colored socks on his feet. "Hey Greg?"

"Yeah Nialler?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby bro."

The two hang up shortly after and Niall sits there staring at the screen on his phone watching it fade before it turns off. He barely flinches when arms wrap around him and lips press to his temple. He knows it's Harry, recognizes his smell and instantly moves closer until he can press his face into the older lad's neck and just closes his eyes, breathing him in and trying to find some peace in this storm.

“I love you, Haz and thank you for being here with me,” Niall says eventually, his arms wrapped tightly around Harry.

“I love you too, baby and I’m always going to be here with you. Always,” Harry told the blonde, pressing more kisses to the top of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been binge watching Modern Family all day and I've got no regrets


	28. A Lot Stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...And maybe I’m not strong enough to leave here right now without still feeling off, but I’m a lot stronger than I was when you were in charge...” Niall told Bobby, shocked with himself at how well he stood up to his monster without cowering in fear.

When they get to Ireland, it's raining and the weather matches Niall’s mood perfectly. He feels sad, tired and cold and outside it's all gray and depressing which kinda only makes him feel a bit worse, but he supposes it's better than a beautiful sunny day. His mom always said he was like a ray of sunshine.

He’s holding Zayn’s hand as they wait for their luggage, their fingers laced together and his gaze is locked on the contrast between skin. Once they collect their things, they find Greg outside waiting for them in the van Maura owned. Niall breaks free from Zayn and runs over to his brother who hugs him tight.

“You okay?” Greg asks Niall quietly, still holding the blonde tightly with his eyes closed and hearing the others walk up to them.

“Wanna see mom,” Niall mumbles into Greg’s chest, but he’s still loud and clear enough for his brother to hear him. Just his brother.

“Soon yeah? We just gotta take your stuff to the hotel and then we can head to the hospital.”

The ride to the hotel was somewhat quiet, just Anne and Greg talking quietly about something that Niall rather not pay attention too. He sat in between Zayn and Louis in the middle seat and the other two at the very back. Niall pulls Peter out of his carry on bag and holds him as he lays his head on Zayn’s shoulder and closes his eyes for a bit.

“Princess, we’re here,” Zayn speaks gently as he shakes Niall awake. “Come on love.”

They only got two rooms, both with two beds for when Gemma came along she could stay with Anne and the five boys could stay together in one room. She knew the boys wouldn’t want to be separated from each other and knew that Niall would be better if he was with the four of them.

The five boys headed up to their room which was right across the hall from Anne’s. There were two double beds with a nightstand separating the two and a TV across from the beds. The bathroom was decent sized and the window had a nice view out into the garden.

“Alright, so how are we doing this?” Liam asked as they set their bags down out of the way so no one would trip.

“Well Niall and Louis are the smallest two so we can fit one of us with them and then the other two on the other bed,” Harry suggested, arm around Niall who was leaning into his side a bit tiredly.

“You can stay with them,” Zayn told Harry.

After that was settled, they met up with Anne and the six headed back down to the lobby where Greg was waiting for them. Niall was nervous on the whole drive to the hospital and once inside, he felt kinda scared. He wasn’t sure in what state he’d find his mom in. He’d always seen her as a strong woman and now she was on her deathbed. He didn’t want the final image he’d get of his mom just laying on a hospital bed looking weak.

“Alright, Ni, you go in with your brother and we’ll be waiting out here,” Anne told the blonde as she pulled him into a hug once they were in the waiting room.

Niall nodded and hugged her back before letting Greg wrap an arm around him and lead him down the hall towards Maura’s room.

“Can I have a second?” Niall asked once the stood outside her door.

“Yeah,” Greg replied sadly and waited as Niall leaned against a wall and took a few deep breaths.

Niall eventually nodded, knowing he'd never really be prepared to see his mom like this. Greg opened the door slowly and peeked inside before heading in and Niall followed a few seconds later. Niall stopped and stood by the door, eyes wide at seeing his mom looking small and really pale on that hospital bed. She was a deathly pale color and her breathing was slow and steady.

“Mom, Ni is here,” Greg told her softly, holding her thin hand in both of his gently as if he were afraid to break her bones.

Maura’s eyes opened and she looked over at her son with a weak smile. Niall bit his bottom lip and moved closer until he was standing next to Greg and he grabbed her hand gently.

“Hi mom,” Niall whispered, trying hard to not let his tears fall because he didn't want his mom to see him cry.

“Oh baby, I've missed you,” she spoke, her voice very quiet and weak.

“Missed you too.”

“I'll be outside for a bit, gonna call Denise,” Greg told them as he pulled his phone out.

Niall nodded and watched his brother leave before pulling the chair closer to Maura’s bed and sitting down. It was silent between them, Niall still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this was his home. That this pale thin woman laying on the hospital bed was living her final days when just a month ago Niall had seen her still healthy and happy.

“Been good?” Maura asked her son.

“A lot better than when I lived here. Talking to Adrianna has really helped and the boys are always there for me.”

“Baby,” Maura began and paused to cough. “Anne’s going to take care of you. I got the paperwork in before all this and Bobby won’t ever have a right to fight for your custody after all the proof of his abuse.”

“Okay.”

 

They fell into a silence a little awkward, Niall not being able to look at his mother much for fear of breaking down. Thankfully Greg walked in shortly after and the three spent a few minutes together before a nurse walked in and told them that Maura needed to rest. The two said goodbye to their mom and headed back out into the waiting room where Niall headed over to Louis right away and hugged him tight, burying his face into the brunette’s neck. Louis sighed sadly and rubbed Niall’s back as Greg and Anne had a small conversation while the other three boys moved closer.

“How is she?” Harry asked Niall softly.

“So weak. She can barely talk, it’s just more of a whisper and it hurts to see her like that,” Niall choked out, feeling tears rolling down his cheeks as Louis hugged him tighter.

“I’m sorry, love,” Louis whispers as he presses a kiss to Niall’s head.

“Boys, why don’t you head down to the cafeteria and eat something? Niall didn’t eat in the plane,” Anne suggested and the four nodded, leading their blonde princess towards the elevator.

Niall had moved on to cling to Liam, arms wrapped around his waist and resting his head on Liam’s shoulder as the older lad rubbed his back. They reached the cafeteria soon and Liam headed over to a table with Niall while the other three went off to get food.

“Do you think we’ll run into, you know who?” Niall asked as he looked at Liam with wide blue eyes.

“I really hope we don’t. Do you know if he’s come to see your mom?” Liam asked the blonde, brushing back his blonde hair.

“Greg said he’s only been over once, I just really hope he doesn’t decide to come over while we’re here.”

The others returned with two trays with food. Niall looked at the tray and grabbed a turkey and cheese sandwich with a bottle of apple juice. Harry also grabbed a bag of potato chips and handed it over to Niall who looked up at him with a frown.

“You need to eat,” was all Harry said as he sat across from him with Zayn and Louis.

The five ate and talked, distracting Niall enough that they even managed to make him laugh and that brought a smile to their faces. Once they finished eating, they headed towards the elevators to head back up, but they all froze when they saw Bobby heading their way. Immediately Harry, Zayn and Liam stood in front of Niall and Louis, Louis grabbing Niall’s hand and glaring at the man who caused his Niall so much pain.

“Didn’t think you’d have the balls to show up,” Bobby sneered at his son, glaring at him and his friends.

“Look, there’s a restraining order in place so I suggest you stay the fuck away from him before we call the police,” Liam told the man in a cold tone as he glared back and it sent a shiver down Louis and Niall’s spines because they’d never heard Liam speak so angrily before.

“You really think a piece of paper is going to keep me away from my son? Or would you prefer I say daughter?”

“Come on, Ni, let’s head on up,” Louis said as he began to lead Niall towards the elevators, the others still acting as a barrier between them and Bobby.

They don't run into him again that day and when visiting hours end, Greg takes them back to the hotel and call it a night. Niall takes a shower last, not minding that the water was slightly cold. He just sat on the tub under the spray with his knees up to his chest. He knew he was crying, but couldn't feel the tears running down his cheeks since they mixed with the water.

“Ni, come on babe, don't want you getting cold,” Liam said as he opened the bathroom door and startling Niall, letting out a small sigh when he saw the blonde just sitting there. “Babe, you haven't even washed yourself.”

“H-Hurts,” Niall whimpered as he looked over at Liam with bloodshot eyes.

“I know babe, but you gotta be strong, yeah? She wouldn't want to see you like this,” Liam spoke quietly as he knelt down next to the tub and grabbed the shampoo bottle. “I’ll help you real quick so you can get out before the water gets colder.”

Niall didn’t protest and let Liam wash his hair and then scrub his body, blushing as he had to stand up and exposed the rest of himself to his older friend. Liam didn’t even mind and quickly washed Niall before going to grab a towel as the blonde shut the water off.

“Do you wanna change here? I can go bring you some clothes if you want,” Liam asked the blonde, watching as he wrapped the large white fluffy towel around his small body.

“Change here,” Niall told him as he closed the toilet lid and sat on it, shivering slightly.

Liam nodded and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door after him and going over to grab Niall’s bag to get some clothes out.

“How is he?” Louis asked worriedly from where he was cuddled on the couch with Zayn while Harry was nowhere to be seen.

“Sad,” was all Liam said as he grabbed some plaid pajama pants and a long sleeved white shirt, blushing when he grabbed some panties. He quickly rushed back into the bathroom and set the clothes on the counter right next to Niall. “Alright princess, we’ll be right outside and we can watch a movie when you come out, yeah?

“Thank you, Li,” Niall whispered as he gave him a soft smile and Liam leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Anything for you, baby, you know we love you. Now hurry up and change, we’ll be waiting.”

Liam left the bathroom and Niall quickly got changed, brushing his hair before heading out and smiling shyly at the others, Harry still being missing but he figured he was with his mom. Louis smiled at the blonde and spotted the spot next to him as Liam and Zayn looked for a movie to watch.

“Are you cold? Your hands are cold,” Louis said once the blonde was next to him and grabbed his hands and feeling how cold the pale hands were in his tan ones.

“A little,” Niall confirmed, snuggling closer to Louis and tugging the sleeves of his shirt over his hands.

“Li, can you get us a blanket?” Louis asked as he rubbed Niall’s arm up and down.

Liam nodded and walked off to fetch a blanket for Niall while Zayn gave off movie titles to Louis and Niall. Harry walked in and immediately sat on Niall’s other side and helped Louis fix the blanket around Niall. They turned off the lights and settled down to watch The Incredibles. Halfway through the movie though and Niall had fallen asleep with his head resting on Harry’s shoulder.

“Think we should call it a night, we’ve all had a long day and we have a couple longer ones ahead of us,” Liam said quietly as he stood up as Zayn turned off the movie.

“Yeah, I'm pretty tired,” Louis yawned, careful not to move his blonde princess.

Harry moved around carefully and picked up Niall bridal style, the blonde only letting out a small mumble but otherwise kept sleeping. Harry sighed and walked over to the first bed, placing Niall in the middle as Louis climbed into his left and covered the two up with the blanket. Zayn walked over with Peter in his hands and gently placed him under Niall’s arm, smiling as the boy hugged the bear tighter unconsciously. Harry got on Niall’s other side and Zayn climbed into the other bed followed by Liam. They shared quiet good nights and the lights were turned off, leaving the five in silence and in darkness.

*

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Niall told his friends during lunch as he stood up and began to head off in the direction of the restrooms without waiting for a reply or anything.

He walked in and sighed in relief when he realized the place was empty so he quickly went into a stall and did his business. He froze, however when he went to flush the toilet and heard someone walk in. The person headed straight for the sinks and Niall flushed the toilet but didn’t exactly want to come out. He wasn’t the best with strangers. Taking a deep breath, Niall unlocked the door and walked out, gasping when he came face to face with Bobby. Niall went to lock himself back inside but the man was quick and grabbed his arm, pulling him out roughly and throwing him towards the sinks where Niall’s back came into contact with the edge and he winced in pain.

“Not so tough without your little boyfriends now, are you?” Bobby taunted as he glared at his son.

“You know you can’t get close to me, why are you doing this?” Niall asked him, trying to keep his voice from shaking but really, he was terrified.

“I told you, a stupid piece of paper won’t keep me from seeing my son and once your mother dies, you will come to live with me whether you like it or not.”

“You don’t even care that she’s actually dying. All you want is to see me miserable and would rather she die now so that you can start fighting for my custody again and play the part of a concerned loving father. But you know what? No judge in their right mind would let you near me again. It was six years too much, Bobby. I will never call you my father because you never were that to me. You made me hate you and you made me hate the way that I was and I won’t ever forgive you for that, not even if it was you on that hospital bed dying. But in a way I do gotta thank you, I was brought back with the people that I’ve always loved and those boys out there mean the whole world to me. And maybe I’m not strong enough to leave here right now without feeling weak, but I’m a lot stronger than I was when you were in charge. Now fuck off and leave me alone before I tell the police you violated your restraining order twice,” Niall told Bobby, shocked with himself at how well he stood up to his monster without cowering in fear.

Niall washed his hands quickly and walked off with his heart racing in his chest and hands shaking slightly. He reached the table and sat in his chair, the others looking at him in concern.

“You okay? You're a little pale and shaking,” Zayn asked worriedly as he rubbed the blonde's back.

Niall explained what happened in the bathroom with Bobby and both Harry and Liam frowned in anger but Niall reassured them that he was okay.

“I actually feel great knowing I could stand up to him now unlike before. I don't feel as scared of him,” Niall told them with a soft smile.

“We’re proud of you, princess,” Liam told him.

After that they headed back up so Niall could spend some time with his mom. Anne took the boys out to walk around the city so they wouldn't get bored from being in the hospital all the time.

“Do you think Bobby will try and fight for Niall's custody?” Harry asked his mom a little worriedly as they walked into a small coffee shop.

“He can try, but he won't get it. Not after everything that he did to Niall. There's a hospital record with Niall's injuries that can be shown to a judge and that will be the end of the case. Don't worry boys, Niall won't be going anywhere,” Anne reassured them with a smile and they all let out a small breath of relief. “After this is over, Niall's really going to need all of you so if you're hiding any more secrets from him, tell him. I don't want a repeat of what happened with you three.”

“We understand,” they all said.

They head back to the hospital nearly two hours later and find Niall walking out of Maura’s room with tears rolling down his cheeks. He runs over to them when he spots them and wraps his arms around Liam.

“Sweetie, what happened?” Anne asked worriedly as they all moved to the waiting room to be out of the way of others.

“I a-almost l-lost her,” Niall cried as he looked over at Anne who gasped.

Greg walked out he too with red eyes and headed over to them.

“How is she?” Anne asked, watching as the boys lead Niall over to a couch and sat him down.

“We lost her for about a minute and the doctor says she's too weak now to make it past this week. She's sleeping now though,” Greg explained. “Visitors are going to be very limited for today, they want her to rest as much as she can so I just want Niall to go say goodbye and if you wouldn't mind taking him back to the hotel.”

“You know I don't mind, love. Call me if anything happens,” Anne told Greg as she hugged him tight before going off to get Niall. “Sweetie, the doctor doesn't want your mom to have any more visitors for today because she needs to rest, so go with Greg so you can go say goodbye.”

Niall nodded and wiped away his tears before following Greg down the hall. Anne let out a small sigh.

*

“You know we can't tell you she's going to be fine because she's not and I’d rather not lie to you, but you know it’s something that’s going to happen. Just think about how much better she’s going to be. She won’t be in pain any more,” Harry told the blonde as he rubbed his back, the two laying on the hotel bed as the other three had gone to check out the indoor pool.

“I know, it's for the best, but doesn't mean it hurts any less,” Niall mumbled sadly as he buried his face into Harry’s chest.

“I know, princess.”

Niall closed his eyes and let Harry hold him for awhile longer.

“Can we go with the others?” Niall asks him eventually and Harry nods.

They head down to the pool after Harry puts on some swim trunks and the other three are in the water splashing each other and laughing, but they stop when they spot Harry and Niall walking over.

“You guys getting in?” Louis asks them excitedly.

“Not me,” Niall says as he sits on one of the chairs while Harry takes off his shirt and shoes and gets in.

“Come on, Ni, the water's fine,” Liam tells the blonde who shakes his head.

The blonde sits there and smiles, watching them play. He looks over when he hears kids giggling and smiles as he watches a family of four play around, feeling slightly jealous at the sight. He wishes he could have had a normal family growing up. Sometimes he really does regret that first tiara he ever bought. He feels like it all fell apart with that toy. He remembers Bobby started to hate him when the tiara made an appearance for the first time, remembers getting pushed to the side and it always being Bobby and Greg. Does he resent his brother? No, but he wishes Bobby would have never made his preference for his oldest son obvious.

“Niall!” Someone called and he jumped in his seat, turning around and coming face to face with a dripping wet Louis.

“What?” Niall frowned up at him, wondering how long he'd been lost in his thoughts.

“Do you want to go get some ice cream? There's this really cute shop right down the street,” Louis told him with a slight giggle.

“Sure.” Niall smiled and stood up, squealing when Louis wrapped his arms around him, getting him wet and laughing as the others joined in as well.

“That's what you get for not coming into the pool with us,” Liam said with a smile as they all pulled away, Niall’s jeans and shirt completely soaked and the blonde giggled.

“Let's go change first though,” Zayn suggested and Niall nodded.

Niall walked behind his boys with a soft smile on his face, jumping slightly when an arm wrapped around his waist. He looked over and smiled wider when he found Liam next to him, the two staring into each other’s eyes until the elevator arrived and they had to get on. Niall bit his bottom with a blush dusting over his cheeks as he looked down at his feet and leaned against the wall, preparing himself for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm way too lazy right now to go and edit, so excuse me for any mistakes, I'll go back once I finish the whole story :)
> 
> Also, I watched all ten episodes of Eyewitness today for the third time because that show is good as fuck


	29. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall stopped breathing for a second when Liam tugged his lip out from his teeth with his fingers, both kinda just staring into each other’s eyes and leaning in without realizing it.

They’ve been in Ireland for four days and Maura only keeps getting worse. Niall wasn’t getting much sleep since he had nightmares again and the boys were worried. Niall had also had a session with Adrianna through Skype, one in which all he did was cry because he didn't like being weak in front of his boys and making them worry.

“Niall, they won't see you as weak. And it isn't good that you're holding your emotions in. This is a tough situation and they aren't going to expect you to be happy and singing all day. They won't mind if they see you cry, it'd be for the best if you didn't hold this from them. They flew to Ireland with you to be there with you during this hard time,” Adrianna had told him and Niall had stopped trying to hide away what he felt and instead was glad when the boys would hold him as he cried.

Niall had also met Denise, Greg’s pregnant fiancé, in the last four days and he already loved her like a big sister. It just made him feel even more sad knowing his mom would never meet her grandkid and wouldn’t be around for when Greg and Denise get married. He knows she’ll be watching from wherever, but it still wouldn't be the same.

In the last four days, Niall has grown very attached to Liam for some reason. He loves all of them equally, he does really and it's not like he has a favorite, but Niall can't stand to be away from Liam for awhile. He likes to think of his sudden attachment as like a phase. He clung to Harry when he first arrived and felt anxious when the curly haired lad had to go to school and when Louis finally met up with him, Niall was attached to him until the whole him walking in on Louis and Harry making out happened. And it hasn't happened with Zayn yet, but he thinks it'll probably happen before they head back to London, whenever that is. What makes his attachment to Liam different though is that he had a dream that him and Liam were kissing and well he’s kinda sort of really hoping it happens for real.

Niall hasn't bumped into Bobby anymore, and Greg did say he'd call the police if their father got anywhere near him again so Niall would like to think that it's maybe because Bobby doesn't want the police involved. Whatever it is though, he's been much calmer now since that incident in the bathroom.

*

“Where are the others?” Niall asks curiously as he walks down the familiar hall in the hospital and towards the waiting room where Liam is sitting on a couch with a cup of coffee and his phone.

“I told them they could go explore the city for a bit so they don't get bored from being here,” Liam explained with a smile as Niall sat next to him, thighs touching despite there being enough room for another person. “Hope you don't mind.”

“I don't, but why didn't you go with them? I'm sure you're bored from being here as well,” Niall asked him in curiosity as he looked at him, eyes darting down to his lips briefly.

“Wanted to be here with you since Greg went to go take Denise home and Anne is back at the hotel doing some work.”

“You're so nice.” Niall hummed and laid his head on Liam’s shoulder, letting out a small yawn and smiling when he felt Liam’s arm wrap around him.

“Is she sleeping?” Liam asked after awhile, the slight chatter of the nurses being soft enough to start putting Niall to sleep.

“Yeah, refused to eat her food again. Not sure how much longer she'll last and I'm very thankful to still have her here with me, but I just don't want her to be in pain anymore. I hate seeing her like this,” Niall told Liam with a slight whimper escaping from his lips and Liam set his coffee on the table next to him and wrapped both arms around the distressed blonde.

“I know, princess,” Liam mumbled, not knowing what to say to comfort Niall and instead kept holding him, pressing his lips to the top of his head. “You excited to be an uncle?”

“Very! Kinda nervous though, I've never been around a baby and what if I drop him or her? Or like, what if I'm not good at anything?” Niall asked nervously as he sat up, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Babe, it's going to be okay,” Liam promised with a slight chuckle. “I'm the youngest so I've never really been around babies either. Louis’ got loads of experience, so he’ll help you out, I'm sure. Now, stop worrying about that and stop chewing on your lip.”

Niall stopped breathing for a second when Liam tugged his lip out from his teeth with his fingers, both kinda just staring into each other’s eyes and leaning in without realizing it. Their lips were maybe an inch or two from touching when they heard Anne’s voice from right around the corner as she talked to someone on the phone and they quickly went back to their previous position with Niall resting against Liam’s shoulder and Liam’s arms around him just as Anne walked in.

“Hi boys, everything good?” She asked.

“Yeah, everything's good,” they both replied with small smiles and red cheeks and hearts beating wildly in their chests at having been almost caught.

“The others should be back soon, in the meantime though I'm gonna go see Maura.”

Niall nodded and she left again. Once they both knew she was out of earshot, the two began to laugh, trying not to be too loud. Niall really wanted to know how it felt to have someone’s lips pressed against his own, but he really wanted to have Liam’s lips pressed against his own at the moment.

Soon the others walked in and Zayn handed Niall a strawberry flavored milkshake.

“Thank you!” Niall told them with a giggle as he began to sip the treat.

“Where's my mom?” Harry asked as he sat on the armchair with Louis on his lap and that has been the most Niall has seen them be as a couple.

“With my mom.”

“Wanna go on a walk?” Liam asked Niall who nodded and got up.

The blonde grabbed Liam’s hand, giggling as he did and leaned into his side as they waited for the elevator. They went down to the first floor and out into the garden, still holding hands as they walked down a concrete path with flowers lined up on the sides. They headed over to a bench located under a tree and took a seat, admiring the large fountain in front of them.

“You haven’t seen Bobby again, have you?” Liam asked worriedly, placing his and Niall’s hands on his lap.

“No and I’m glad he got the hint. I mean, I the nightmares are still there, but I just feel a hell of a lot lighter knowing I was able to stand up to him the way I did. And I told Adrianna yesterday during our session and she said that that was great and that I was doing amazing progress and it would only get easier from now on because I was able to confront him,” Niall explained with a smile, feeling proud of himself and Liam looked down at him with lovesick eyes.

“You know we’re really proud of how far you’ve come,” Liam spoke softly, stroking Niall’s right cheek gently with his index and middle finger. “I admire you for how strong you are despite everything you’ve gone and are going through. Despite what’s happening right now, you still have a smile on your face and you always try to look at his in a positive way.”

Niall could feel himself blush and he let his gaze wander down to Liam’s lips. He didn't know how or when, but the next second Liam’s lips are actually on his. He gasps a little, but let's his eyes slip shut as he adds a bit more pressure and then Liam’s lips begin to move against his and Niall tries to keep up, tries to copy his actions but he's never been kissed before and thus doesn't know what to do. Liam brings his free hand up to cup Niall’s face, the other still holding Niall’s hand in his lap. Niall can feel a whole bunch of butterflies in his stomach and makes it makes him feel slightly sick, but a good kinda sick. He loves the feeling of having Liam’s lips against his.

They both pull away and all Niall says is a quiet ‘wow’ that doesn't go unheard by Liam who grins wider, hand still cupping Niall’s face before he leans forward to capture their lips together again. Niall kisses him back a bit more confidently and giggles slightly as he feels Liam’s tongue swipe against his bottom lip.

They kiss and break apart for air. Niall giggles shyly. They kiss again and then break apart for air again. Niall giggles shyly. It's a small routine they keep for around ten minutes before Niall settles happily into Liam’s chest with a happy sigh escaping his lips. Their kisses have sort of become like an addiction by now and as much as they would love to keep kissing, they know they have to stop so they can go inside soon and not get carried away.

“That was my first kiss,” Niall says shyly, refusing to look up at Liam who’s rubbing his back in soft circles and making him sort of sleepy.

“Well I hope it was good,” Liam told him in a bit of a playful tone but he really hopes it was good.

“It was perfect.”

They went back inside eventually, holding hands again. 

Louis narrows his eyes at the two when they return. Niall’s cheeks are red and he’s looking all shy and when he looks up at Liam he quickly looks away with his cheeks turning a darker shade of red. Harry and Zayn are too busy having a conversation about who knows what. Niall let's go of Liam’s hand and quickly goes over to sit next to Louis, curling up into his side and Louis forgets about his suspicions.

“Have a nice walk?” Louis asks as he plays with Niall’s hair softly.

“It's so pretty out in the garden and there's this fountain and a lot of flowers,” Niall explained excitedly as he looked up at Louis with wide sparkling blue eyes.

“We’re gonna head out to dinner soon, you wanna come along Ni?” Harry asked the blonde who thought about for a few seconds. He didn't want to leave his mom’s side for long, but he also feels like he hasn't spent much time with all five of them together.

“You don't have to, but it'd be good for you to get out of the hospital for a bit,” Zayn told him with a soft gaze.

“Yeah, I'm getting kinda hungry anyways and the food here is no good,” Niall replied with a shrug and the others chuckled quietly.

Greg walked out of the elevator and smiled at the group before heading down the hall to Maura’s room. Niall felt slightly more better about leaving his mom now that his brother was here. Anne walked out not long after and walked over toe group.

“We ready to go eat?” Anne told them and they all nodded and stood up, following her towards the elevator and Niall took Liam’s hand as they stepped inside, chest feeling a bit tight.

Niall doesn't like elevators. Or small spaces. He hates elevators and the fifteen second trip down to the first floor feels like an eternity for the blonde who has his eyes closed as he counts and tries to keep his breathing even. He is terrified of getting stuck in an elevator and really hopes it doesn't ever happen. Like ever.

“Don’t you guys think that Niall and Liam are a little too close?” Louis asked the other two quietly as they let Niall and Liam (who were still holding hands) walking with Anne towards the restaurant that wasn’t too far from the hospital.

“Well Ni really needs us right now, so no I don’t find anything weird about them being close,” Harry shrugged as he grabbed Louis’ hand and gave it a squeeze that kind of warned him to just drop it, but of course he wouldn’t.

“But they’re acting like you and Louis did after you guys kissed for the first time. All clingy and shy around each other,” Zayn pitched in with his own comment that really got Louis thinking and maybe Harry did too.

It wasn’t until later that night when Niall finally broke away from Liam’s side. Well mainly because Liam was taking a shower and Niall didn’t really want to sit in and wait for him in the bathroom. Now the blonde was clinging to Zayn’s side with his eyes closed as the black haired lad played with his hair.

“You’re like a cute little kitten,” Louis commented with a giggle as he settled on Niall’s other side on the bed and pecked his cheek. “You are so cute.”

“Louis,” Niall whined, cheeks bright red and Harry chuckled at that while Zayn rolled his eyes, ready to push Louis away if he got to bothering Niall too much. “Can we watch a movie? I’m not tired.”

“Sure princess. Which one do you want?” Harry asked as he started to list of titles from his laptop.

“The Little Mermaid, please.”

“Fuck yeah, I love this one,” Louis said excitedly as he settled down properly and Zayn rolled his eyes again while Niall giggled and shoved him playfully.

“We gotta wait for Liam though,” Niall reminded the others and Louis scoffed, moving away from Niall and instead curled up into Harry’s side which made Niall frown and Zayn glare at Louis. “What's wrong?”

“Not that I don't love Payno because I do, but what is up with you and him lately? You're holding hands and you're practically attached at the hip now!” Louis exclaimed a little angrily as he sat up and turned to face Niall who was frowning and chewing on his bottom lip the way he usually did when he was upset or nervous.

“Louis,” Harry and Zayn both hissed at him angrily.

“Why are you so mad? Not like I haven't spent time attached to you? If you're jealous get fucking over it! I’m not a toy that you can own! I'm allowed to spend time with the rest and I'm sorry if you don't like the way that I'm with Liam! You're not the only one here,” Niall yelled back, glaring at Louis who began to look guilty the angrier and the more hurt Niall looked.

“What's going on? I can hear your screaming in the bathroom,” Liam asked as he walked out of the bathroom in joggers hanging low on his hips and bare chested, a frown on his face as he looked at Louis and Niall.

“Louis can tell you, I'm gonna go spend the night at the hospital instead,” Niall mumbled and got off the bed despite Harry and Zayn’s protests.

Louis watched sadly as Niall put on his shoes and pulled on one of Harry’s hoodies before grabbing his phone and heading out of the room, slamming the door on his way out.

“What the fuck did you say to him?!” Liam asked Louis angrily and Louis whimpered, cowering back until his back hit the headboard.

“Liam, just calm down. This isn't the way to talk things through,” Zayn reasoned as he stood up and grabbed Liam’s arm, dragging him back away from the bed. “Look, Louis did wrong in approaching whatever the hell was bothering him the way he did, but I guess we’ve all been a little tense lately and well the five of us being together so much probably isn't the best. Let's give Niall some space and then Louis will apologize in the morning. For now let's just have one of us call Greg and make sure Niall’s okay.”

Liam nodded but continued glaring at Louis who by now had silent tears running down his cheeks and Harry was torn between being mad at his boyfriend or comforting him. Instead he busied himself with putting his laptop away and heading into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Louis didn't sleep at all that night. Instead he sat on the couch in the dark crying silently and wondering whether he should send Niall a text. He decided against it, wanting to apologize in person and as soon as he saw the sun begin to rise, he quickly changed and brushed his teeth. He left a note and left the room as quietly as he could and walked out of the hotel. He called a taxi that took him down to the hospital and he was glad he still had money that his mom had given him before the trip.

“What are you doing here?” Niall asked once he spotted Louis sitting in the waiting room. Niall had walked out of his mom’s room when the doctor came in to check up on her and Greg had gone home for once after dropping Niall off at the hospital.

“I just- I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to go off on you the way that I did, but I can't help but feel jealous that you're spending so much time with Liam. I feel like you don't love me as much as him,” Louis explained and realized how pathetic that all was.

“Lou, princess, I love all of you equally and it kinda hurts me that you would think that I'd love one of you more than the others,” Niall spoke softly as he took a seat next to a very tired looking Louis. “Just like maybe you have a deeper connection with Harry because he's your boyfriend, I have a deeper one with Liam because he was my first kiss.”

“Oh,” Louis mumbled sadly. He knew he couldn't be selfish with something like this and that he's screwed up by not telling Niall he was in a relationship with Harry, but it still hurt because Louis had always thought they'd share many firsts together. Obviously that couldn't be the case when Louis had his first kiss.

“Doesn't mean I love you, Zayn or Haz any less,” Niall reassured Louis as he sat closer and placed his left hand on Louis’ left cheek and stroking his cheekbone with his thumb. “All of you are special to me, maybe a little more than I realized at first and if it helps you a bit, you can be the second guy I kiss.”

Louis chuckled and they both leaned forward until their lips pressed together softly at first, but then they got more courage and moved their lips against each other's for a few seconds before pulling away. Kissin Louis had made Niall feel the same as kissing Liam, those same butterflies and sick feeling in his stomach and the shy looks they both shared afterwards. It was all the same and it only helped convince the blonde further that he was indeed, falling in love with all of his best mates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um so I was going to update yesterday but we had no power for like over five hours because of this huge storm that literally came out of nowhere. It was sunny one minute and then the next the tornado sirens are going off and the wind is blowing hard and thunder and everything and then the sun comes out afterwards. It was terrifying, but you know I'm kinda used to it.
> 
> Also I wanted the main focus on this chapter to be Niam because I almost never write Niam and it was the first ship I ever shipped back when I first became a fan of 1D so yeah


	30. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne walks out seven minutes and thirty nine seconds after the clock hits three, Harry counts, with red eyes and dried tear stains on her cheeks.

It’s in the middle of the night, two days after Niall and Louis’ fight, when the five boys are fast asleep when there’s a knock on their hotel room door. At first no one reacts, but then Harry quickly gets up when he hears the knock a bit louder and more frantic than the first time. He opens the door and feels his heart drop when he sees his mom on the other side looking sad and worried.

“What’s wrong?” He asks her quietly.

“Get the boys up, we need to go to the hospital. It’s Maura,” was all Anne said and Gemma walked out of the room across from them still in her pajamas and hair brushed neatly. “Hurry.”

Harry nodded and went back inside, turning on the lights and shaking all the boys awake as his mom and sister waited out in the hall.

“Go away,” Zayn grumbled angrily, turning around and cuddling into Liam.

“Guys, get up! We need to head down to the hospital,” he told them and at that, Niall sat up and looked at Harry with wide eyes.

In fifteen minutes, they were all the hospital and Niall was in Maura’s room with Greg and Denise while they all waited out in the waiting room.

“What exactly happened?” Harry asked his mom, Louis half asleep on Zayn as they sat around with Anne and Gemma both nursing coffee cups.

“Greg called me and said his mom was getting a lot worse,” Anne explained, looking at the boys sadly.

Anne goes in to see Maura ten minutes later, leaving four sleepy and sad boys out in the waiting room with Gemma. It's nearing three in the morning now and they've been in the hospital for nearly an hour. Louis has fallen asleep by now laying on the couch with his head on Zayn’s lap and Zayn is dozing off. Harry is flipping through the same magazine for the third time that night and Liam is playing a game on his phone while Gemma stares blankly at the TV lost in her own thoughts.

Anne walks out seven minutes and thirty nine seconds after the clock hits three, Harry counts, with red eyes and dried tear stains on her cheeks. Zayn shakes Louis awake, all of them looking at her kinda hoping for good news, but they just knew by the look on her face that it wasn’t anything good.

“She's gone,” Anne tells them as she sits next to Gemma and they all look devastated at the news, though they knew their sadness could never measure up to what Niall and his brother are feeling right now.

“How's Ni?” Gemma asks, worried for her other little brother.

“Poor thing, he's a wreck. Greg had to lift him away from Maura when the doctor walked in. Think they're going to give him something to calm him down.”

They sit in silence for a few more minutes until Greg walks over to them with Niall in his arms crying into his older brother’s shoulder. Greg wordlessly passes Niall over to Liam who quickly hugs the blonde to his chest. Niall grips Liam’s shirt tightly as he hiccups and tries to stop himself from crying so hard while the others surround him and touch him in someway. Anne, Gemma, Greg and Denise are talking a few feet away from them.

“We’re so sorry, princess,” Liam mumbles into Niall's hair, a tear rolling down his cheek as he closes his eyes.

“We all are, but just think about how she's not in pain anymore,” Harry told Niall as he grabbed Niall’s left hand.

“I-I k-know,” Niall choked out, looking at him with tear filled eyes. “Doesn't mean it hurts any less.”

“We love you and we’re going to help you through this. I know it hurts and it'll only get easier to live with because that pain will always be there, but we’re here for you, Niall. Always,” Louis says softly as he presses a kiss to his wet cheek.

They head back to the hotel half an hour later with a very quiet Niall. He isn't crying anymore, but he also isn't all completely there. Once in their room Louis and Harry help the blonde get back in bed and they all squish in together with Niall in the middle. Niall whispers an ‘I love you’ before falling asleep. 

It's not a dreamless sleep. He dreams with his mom, back when she was healthy and alive. They're in a field of flowers and she's standing there with her arms wide open and a smile on her face. Niall can feel himself running, but the more he runs the further away she gets. The once blue skies turn gray and stormy and suddenly she's not there anymore and he stops running. He calls for her and drops to his knees in desperation but she never comes. Instead Bobby shows up and he's yelling at him but it's like he's pressed mute on the TV to silence his screaming.

He wakes up with a gasp and realizes he's alone in bed and it's already day out. Suddenly Zayn walks over to him with worried eyes and with one look from the blonde he's sitting on the bed hugging him tightly.

“Nightmare?” Zayn guesses as he presses a kiss to Niall’s forehead.

“Yeah. Where's everyone?” Niall asks, voice hoarse and head pounding.

“Harry is with his mom and sister, Louis’ in the shower and Liam’s talking to his mom on the phone out in the hall. You hungry? You slept through breakfast and lunch.”

“Not really, but you're going to make me eat, aren't you?” Niall asked Zayn who chuckled quietly.

“Just a bit babe. We want you to eat something, but we're not going to force you to finish your food,” Zayn told him as Niall snuggled more into his chest.

“Okay.”

After Louis got out of the shower, Niall went in and afterwards all five headed down to the restaurant with Niall so he could eat. He didn’t eat much, as they thought. He spent the rest of the day kind of just clinging to one of the boys or by himself. Greg was getting the things ready so he’d been busy despite Niall having wanted to spend time with him.

Niall unfortunately had another encounter with Bobby the next day when they reached the funeral home for Maura’s service. Of course they expected Bobby to be there, he had been her husband after all, but they never thought he’d approach Niall in front of so many people especially after Greg had threatened him with calling the police if he violated the restraining order again.

Niall was walking out of the bathroom when Bobby walked over to him with a glare and slapped him hard across the face. Niall gasped in shock and pain while the others quickly raced towards Niall’s side, Harry and Zayn shoving Bobby away from him.

“The fuck is your problem?” Greg asked his father angrily as he too ran over, seeing the commotion going on.

“Maura died because of him!” Bobby roared angrily and Niall flinched back, hand still on his cheek and eyes full of tears.

“She died because she was sick, I will not allow you to blame this on my brother. You promised you wouldn’t do anything, so don’t fucking make me call the police. I only allowed you in here because she was your wife,” Greg hissed at his father, motioning for the boys to take Niall away.

“Do you need some ice?” Liam asked worriedly as they sat Niall in a chair, the other moms (who had flown in last night) approached them quickly with worried faces.

“Oh sweetie,” Karen cooed as she removed Niall’s hand to take a look at his cheek. “It’s a little red, but shouldn’t bruise too badly.”

“Do you want some water?” Louis’ mom offered the blonde who nodded mutely.

“Princess, don’t listen to him, yeah? Her dying wasn’t your fault nor will it ever be. You didn’t get her sick, unfortunately this happens a lot more than it should. And Bobby, he’s just looking for a way to hurt you more, so please don’t listen to anything he has to say to you,” Harry begged the blonde, rubbing his back and looking at him worriedly.

“I just want to know why he hates me so much to blame my mom’s death on me?” Niall asked quietly and it broke their hearts to hear him so broken up about it.

“I don’t know why, love,” Anne told him sincerely.

The service was beautiful and his brother had a very nice speech. Niall had pushed the incident with Bobby to the back of his mind as he focused on why they were all gathered together. He was sat between Louis and Liam who were both holding his hands as he sat front row. He didn’t shed any more tears, and to his surprise, he felt kind of at peace. Sure it hurt that he would never get to hug his mom anymore, but he knew she wasn’t in pain and that made him happy. It was helping him heal and with his best friends by his side, everything would be okay.

Two days later Anne, Gemma and the boys are on their way back to London with a quiet Niall. He hadn’t said much since the funeral, but they knew not to push. Niall would talk when he was ready. After the funeral, Niall had stayed over at Greg’s place just wanting to be close to his family again before leaving and the boys kinda suspected that something happened because Niall refused to be called princess.

Once back at Anne’s place, Niall grabbed his things and headed up the stairs to his room without a word, leaving behind a worried Harry, Gemma and Anne.

“Just give him a bit of space, baby,” Anne told Harry who sighed.

“But I’m worried mom! Something happened that made all his good progress go down the toilet and I’m pretty damn sure that something was Bobby again,” Harry told her in an exasperated tone as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I have to agree with my brother mom, because Niall was okay before he left for Greg’s and suddenly he comes back like he didn’t catch a wink of sleep and dressed in some joggers and a college hoodie,” Gemma said.

“Just don’t push him to talk, okay? He knows we’re here for him and maybe he needs time to sort whatever is going on in his head,” Anne warned her son as he began to head for the stairs, but Harry didn’t really want to take her advice. It hurt him to see his princess so broken down about something.

Harry headed into his room and quickly dropped his things in there before heading to Niall’s sighing when he heard crying coming from the other side of the door. He didn’t even knock knowing Niall would tell him to go away, so he just went in and closed the door after him, approaching the blonde gently.

“Nialler?” Harry called, earning a whine from the blonde. “Babe, you need to tell me what’s wrong. We’re all worried about you.”

Harry sat beside the blonde who sat up and looked at him with puffy red eyes and tears falling down his cheeks at a fast pace. Niall opened and closed his mouth several times before shaking his head and instead falling into Harry’s arms. Harry held the blonde and murmured sweet soothing words until he stopped crying and fell asleep in Harry’s arms. Harry maneuvered the blonde around gently until he laid him down on the bed and covered him up with a blanket before leaving the room momentarily.

Harry walked into his room and changed into more comfortable clothes and grab his phone. He heard a small whimper coming from Niall’s room and hurried over, seeing the blonde moving around on the bed, his eyes still closed but face scrunched up in discomfort. Harry frowned and raced to the blonde’s bed, sitting next to him and running his hand through Niall’s blonde hair.

“Shh love, I’m right here,” Harry cooed as he laid down next to the blonde.

Niall stopped tossing and turning after a minute and Harry watched as his face relaxed, he himself relaxing as well, but not stopping his movements of running his fingers through Niall’s fading blonde hair. Harry eventually fell asleep next to him, his arm around Niall’s waist holding him gently.

When Niall wakes up in the morning, he smiles softly as he feels Harry’s arms wrapped around him and he snuggles into his chest, wanting to fall back asleep but he can’t anymore. He feels Harry’s lips press against his forehead and his hand begins to rub his back.

“Did you have anymore nightmares?” Harry asked the blonde.

“No. Can we see the boys today?” Niall mumbled tiredly as he looked up at Harry who was smiling at him softly.

“Of course we can. I'll go text them,” Harry said and was about to get out of bed when Niall whined and tugged him back.

“Use my phone, but don't leave me.”

“Alright.”

‘Hey, it's H, Ni says he wants to see you guys today. You up for it?’ Harry typed out in their group chat and sent it, waiting for a response that quickly came from all three boys.

“They say they're up for it,” Harry tells the blonde who nods.

The two get out of bed and begin to get ready for the day, Niall hesitating with his wardrobe like he has been ever since his stay at Greg’s. He shakes his head and grabs some leggings and a long sleeved flannel that he thinks belonged toZayn. The shirt is big on his tiny frame and slips off his shoulder a bit, the sleeves going to the tips of his fingers.

Anne is off at work and Gemma is nowhere to be found, so they both have cereal for breakfast even though it's noon and the doorbell goes off just before they finish eating.

“I'll get that,” Harry tells the blonde softly, kissing his temple before going off to open the door and revealing three smiling teenage boys. “Hey guys, come in! We’re just having breakfast.”

“It's past noon,” Zayn points out as they walk into the house.

“We just woke up like half an hour ago, excuse us,” Harry replies and Louis giggles as he stands up on his tiptoes to press a soft kiss to Harry’s lips. “Hi babe.”

“Hi,” Louis greets him and walks towards the kitchen and smiling at Niall who’s eating slowly.

“Hey,” Niall greets him softly, a small barely there smile on his face and the others walk in, all of them sitting around the table as Harry and Niall continue to eat. “I'm done.”

“Ni, you've only eaten half and you didn't even half dinner last night,” Harry tells the blonde sadly and Niall shakes his head.

“But I'm not hungry,” Niall whined childishly which made them happy that Niall was slowly returning to normal.

“Harry, leave my baby alone,” Louis scolds Harry playfully and Niall sticks his tongue out at Harry.

“I um, I wanna apologize for my behavior these last few days. I know it probably feels like it did back when I first got here and I was scared to even acknowledge the fact that I like those cute girly things,” Niall starts off as he looks down at his soggy cereal.

“Babe, you don't need to apologize. Of course we’re worried as to why the sudden change again, but you know we’ll always be here for you,” Liam spoke softly as he looked at Niall who looked up at him and smiled.

“It's just, when I was staying with Greg, Bobby dropped by and he said the things he used to say to me when I lived with him and tried to not let him get to me again, but I couldn't help it. He made me relieve all my old memories and I kinda just shut down,” Niall explained sadly.

“Princess, you should have told us sooner,” Zayn told him worriedly.

“Was Greg there?” Harry asked the blonde.

“Not at first since I’d been the one who opened the door, but he walked over as soon as he heard yelling and grabbed his phone ready to call the police but Bobby left,” Niall said as he looked up at Harry who let out a small sigh. “I’m sorry I kept it from you guys.”

“Don't be sorry, yeah?”

Harry took his empty bowl and Niall’s to the sink and did the dishes while the others headed to the living room, Niall sitting next to Zayn and curling up into his side. Zayn smiles and wraps an arm around the blonde and rubs his back.

“You look really cute when you wear my clothes,” Zayn mumbled quietly into Niall’s ear so only the blonde could hear.

“Yeah?” Niall looked up at Zayn with a blush dusting over his cheeks. “I like wearing your clothes too.”

Zayn kissed his cheek and soon Harry walked in, turning on the TV and his PlayStation. The other three played while Louis and Niall cheered them on.

The next day Harry drove the blonde to his appointment with Adrianna. When his name was called, Niall pressed a kiss to Harry's cheek before heading into her office.

“Hi Niall,” Adrianna greeted him with a smile and hug. She'd grown really fond of the blonde Irish boy.

“Hi Ari,” Niall greeted her.

“You look okay considering.”

“I-I feel okay. I thought I'd be really broken up over my mom’s death. I mean I am, but my boys have been a big help during these last few days. I'm very thankful to have them by my side through all of this.”

“And Bobby? Anything else happen while you were still in Ireland?” Adrianna asked the blonde, the lack of flower crown on his head.

Niall told her about how Bobby had blamed him for Maura's death and how he'd gotten to him again with all the stuff he said while Niall was at his brother’s. Eventually his hour was up and Niall walked out with a smile on his face and feeling much lighter than earlier. Harry stood up with a smile and wrapped an arm around the blonde.

“Everything good?” Harry asked as they headed towards the elevator.

“Yeah. I'm only going to see her once every other week. I feel the best I've felt in weeks,” Niall replied as he looked up at Harry who smiled down at him proudly.

“That's my princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Pandora just played Harry, Liam and then Niall and then One Direction and I nearly started crying


	31. Shades of Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis tried to resist, he really did, but the blonde was looking up at him with a puppy dog look and Louis groaned because there was no way in hell he could say no to that look.

Louis is hanging out with Niall, the two being in the blonde’s room just talking when Gemma walks in with a smile and the two look at her curiously.

“Need something?” Niall asks her a little hesitantly as she sits on the bed with the two.

“Yeah, we’re going shopping so get up. And I don't want to hear any buts so get up and let's go. I think it's about time you both start dressing how you really want,” she tells them, mostly looking at Louis because she knows he's being hesitant about all of this and she's caught him staring at Niall’s flower crowns longingly the past few days.

“But it's too hot outside!” Niall complained.

“I said no buts so now get your cute little butts out of bed and let's go.”

Louis and Niall shared suffering looks before obeying the older girl and following her out of the bedroom. Harry had recently gotten a job at this bakery so he wasn't home, Liam and his family were out of town and Zayn was at a job interview today so it was just the two of them which was kind of strange not being all of them together.

“You guys excited for school? It starts in three weeks,” Gemma asks them as she drives them to the mall.

“I mean, I guess I kind of am. It's been years since I was last able to go,” Niall replied with a shrug as he stared out the window and Gemma and Louis both shared sad looks.

“I'm not. I hate school,” Louis mumbled, resting his hands on his lap.

“Well just think of it this way, you guys are almost done with it and soon you won't have to see the same faces everyday anymore,” Gemma told them in an encouraging tone.

They arrive at the mall and Gemma drags them to any store she can think off. She wants both boys to go back to how they were when they were younger.

“Lou! We should match!” Niall shouted excitedly as he approached the area with cute shorts and picked out a pair of white high waisted shorts with frayed ends.

“Have you guys tried skirts?” Gemma asked as she picked up a pale pink skater skirt and held it up to Niall who scrunched his nose up cutely.

“That's too much, Gem,” Louis mumbled as he frowned at the skirt and Gemma shrugged but grabbed two anyways. “Um I don't exactly feel comfortable being here.”

“Oh uh we can go if you want,” Niall told Louis quietly, putting the shorts back and Louis felt bad immediately.

“No, babe, we don’t have to leave. I just- I don’t feel comfortable doing this for myself,” Louis explained to the blonde who still looked a little sad.

“But I don’t want you to feel pressured,” Niall mumbles quietly and Gemma walks off towards a different area to let the two talk.

“I promise that I don’t feel pressured by being here. I’ll even help you pick stuff out, yeah?” Louis tells the blonde, going over to wrap his arms around him and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Cheer up buttercup.”

Niall giggled into Louis’ collarbone and pulled away to go back to picking out some new shorts. Louis smiled fondly at the small blonde and walked over to help him out. Louis was searching through the shorts trying to find the perfect ones for his princess when his fingers came in contact with a satin pair of light pink sleep shorts with thin black lines on the sides and black edges. He smiles and immediately picked some in Niall’s size before tapping the blonde on the shoulder.

“Hmm?” Niall questioned as he turned around to face Louis.

“I found you something,” Louis says a little shyly and lifts up the shorts, watching as Niall’s blue eyes widen in excitement.

“Oh my gosh, they’re so pretty! Thank you, Lou!” Niall exclaimed and hugged the brunette lad tightly as he grabbed the pair out of his hands. “You sure you don’t want to match with me, Lou Lou?”

Louis tried to resist, he really did, but the blonde was looking up at him with a puppy dog look and Louis groaned because there was no way in hell he could say no to that look. He eventually caved in and Niall squealed before starting to look for another pair for Louis.

“We can wear them tonight! You are sleeping over, right?” Niall questioned the slightly older lad excitedly and Louis nodded, too busy running his fingers over the material of the shorts.

Louis got distracted by some cute sweaters that when he turned around to tell Niall, he didn’t see the blonde near him. Immediately growing worried, Louis began to search for him and blushed when he found the blonde searching through panties.

“Ni, no!” Louis whined, the blush still on his cheeks as he tried to drag the blonde away from there.

“But Lou, I need new panties!” Niall argued as he held up a black lace thong.

“Okay, but no thongs. You’re too cute and innocent for that and you’re my baby so I say no,” Louis argued back as he took the thong from Niall’s tiny hands and placed it back before dragging the blonde out of that section.

Niall was still pouting by the time they found Gemma looking at chokers with a pile of clothes on her left arm that Louis really hoped was for her. That girl had some scary obsession with wanting to make him and Niall her dolls.

“Gemma, can we go? I'm tired,” Niall whined, rubbing at his right eye tiredly and Louis cooed.

“Fine fine, I'm pretty sure I already searched through the whole store twice,” she said as he picked out a glittery rose pink choker. “Ni, babe, didn't you want nail polish?”

“Oh yeah!”

They headed to the makeup section and Niall ended up grabbing three different shades of pink, Gemma picked out a lilac color for him and Louis a shade of blue that matched the blonde’s eyes. Once they ring up everything, Louis cringes at the large number, but all three pitch in to pay even though Gemma insisted she could pay for it all on her own and more.

“What do you do? Aren't you a poor uni student?” Louis questions the girl as he is also forced to carry two bags. Gemma has four and Niall three.

“Do you forget that my biological dad still sends Harry and I money every month? And I work and I've had savings since I was a little girl so I'm pretty solid right now. Besides, mom also kinda sends me an allowance almost every week,” Gemma explains and as they walk through the parking lot to get to their car.

“My mom also left me money, but I can't touch it until I'm eighteen as she established in her will,” Niall mumbles tiredly and sadly. He misses his mom a lot, some days a lot more than others, but he also knows his mom wouldn't want him to be sad all the time.

When they get home, they all head up to Niall’s room immediately and set all the bags on his bed. Niall immediately starts to pull out the clothes he picked out with a smile on his face.

“Do you really need all these clothes?” Louis asked as Niall kept pulling stuff out of bags.

“Duh. School starts soon and all I have are ugly clothes in my closet. The ones Bobby always made me wear,” Niall told Louis with a pout that had the brown haired lad sighing and shaking his head fondly at the blonde.

“Will you two be good on your own? I have to go somewhere,” Gemma told them as she entered the room.

“We’ll be good!”

“For some reason I don't trust you. Louis, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid,” Gemma told Louis who nodded while Niall whined.

“Will do.”

Gemma left the room and Niall grabbed some light pink denim overalls and Louis raised his eyebrows at that.

“You sure do like pink,” Louis mumbled as he pulled out a pink cable knit sweater.

“It's my favorite color,” Niall shrugged as he folded a shirt.

After all his new stuff was put away, Niall yawned again and removed his shoes before getting in bed with Louis.

“You tired, princess?” Louis asked as he ran his fingers through Niall's hair.

“Yeah. Shopping makes me tired,” Niall tells him with a small giggle and Louis laughs.

“Well get some rest then. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Niall nodded and moved to lay his head on Louis’ lap and in a few seconds he was fast asleep. Niall woke up an hour later and was surprised to find Louis fast asleep next to him. He carefully got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.

“Ni?” Louis called with a frown when he didn’t see his blonde haired princess anywhere.

“Bathroom!” Niall called and walked out a few seconds later, jumping on the bed and giggling as Louis groaned at the sudden movement. “Can I paint your nails?”

“No,” Louis said with a frown.

“Please?” Niall begged, using his puppy dog face.

“Ugh, fine. You know we can’t say no to that face, you little shit.”

“Yay!” Niall cheered and went off to find a nail polish color for Louis. He hummed and took his time deciding on what color to use. The color nail chose was a pink shade that reminded him of cotton candy and it was called Coney Island Cotton Candy.

“Why do you like pink so much?” Louis asked curiously as he watched Niall do his nails with a concentrated look on his face, his tongue poking out just slightly.

“There’s no real reason, but the softer shades of pink are my favorite. They’re so cute and it kinda reminds me of being a kid for some reason. Why don’t you like pink?” Niall asked him with raised eyebrows as he looked up at Louis briefly.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I mean, I love seeing you wearing pink and get all excited when you something pink, but it’s just not my color.”

“Then what is your color? Do you have a favorite?”

“Probably not, but I really like the shade of blue that your eyes are,” Louis answered truthfully and smiled when he saw the blush spreading all over Niall’s face.

“Lou,” Niall whined, letting out a shy little giggle right after.

Louis stayed quiet so he could let Niall finish his nails and eventually the blonde sat back with a smile and declared that he was done.

“Cute color,” Louis comments as he inspects his nails.

“Duh, I picked it out,” Niall comments as he gets off the bed to put the nail polish back on his vanity.

“You cheeky little shit.”

Niall blew a kiss at Louis before skipping out of the room with Louis following him. The blonde enters the kitchen and starts looking for something to eat while Louis sits at the breakfast bar still staring at his nails.

“Want ice cream?” Niall asked Louis as he opened the freezer and pulled out the tub of cookie dough ice cream.

“Yeah,” Louis replied with a smile as he looked up at the blonde, giggling as he watched him struggle to open the tub. “Need a hand?”

“Would be lovely,” Niall grunted.

Louis hopped off the stool and walked over to Niall, helping him take off the lid on the tub. Niall thanked him with a kiss to his cheek and went off to fetch some plates, spoons and the spoon for the ice cream. Soon the two were sitting at the island eating their ice cream with Niall humming a song quietly.

“I’m home!” Harry called out as he walked into the house with a large smile and a bag.

“Harry!” Niall cheered and raced off to go greet him.

“Hi princess,” Harry says with a fond smile as he hugs the blonde tightly and presses a kiss to the top of his head. “How was your day?”

“It was great! Gemma took Louis and I shopping and I bought a lot of pretty things!”

“Are you going to wear all your pretty things now?”

“Yeah,” Niall says softly and Harry smiles proudly at the Irish boy before pressing another kiss to his head.

“Neil, if you don’t get your ass in here your ice cream is going to melt!” Louis shouted from the kitchen and Niall skipped off.

Harry followed him into the kitchen and set his bag on the counter as he greeted his boyfriend with a peck to his forehead. Ever since Niall found out about them the wrong way, they’ve been very cautious to not display too much affection in front of him.

“What’s in there?” Louis asked curiously as he pointed at the bag and Harry didn’t comment on his nails.

“I brought some muffins and stuff from work,” Harry explained as he grabbed Louis’ spoon and ate some of his ice cream which caused Louis to pout and NIall to giggle. “Where are mom and Gemma?”

“Momma’s at work and Gemma went off somewhere, said she had something to do,” Niall answered him with a shrug as he continued to eat his ice cream.

“Wanna go to the movies? We can go out and eat something afterwards,” Harry suggested as he opened the fridge door and looked for something to drink.

“Yes! I haven’t been to the movies in awhile!”

“How long is awhile?” Louis asked slightly worriedly.

“Um two years? Maybe three. The last time I went, Greg and Bressie took me but then when I got home Bobby was really mad,” Niall explained with a frown as he looked down at his ice cream and the other two decided to drop the subject.

“Which movie should we watch then?” Harry asked them.

“Can we watch, hmm, I don’t know.”

“Well how about I read off options and you tell me yes or no-”

“No wait! I wanna watch Finding Dory! Can we, pretty please?” Niall begged Harry.

“Yeah!” Louis echoed back excitedly and Harry chuckled.

“You know I’m always up for a Disney movie. Let me check the times.”

Two hours later they’re in line at the concessions stand after having bought their tickets and Niall is looking around the place and taking in every detail.

“Niall, what do you want?” Harry asked the blonde as they reached the front of the line.

“Um popcorn obviously and sour gummies,” Niall told him with a smile.

They each gathered their things after paying and headed inside to watch the movie. Niall sat in between Harry and Louis, munching on his popcorn and not even sparing his companions a second glance as the movie started.

“Did you like the movie?” Harry asked the boys as they walked out of the theater.

“Loved it!” Niall exclaimed excitedly as he skipped in between them with a large smile on his face.

“You had too much candy,” Louis told Niall who simply shrugged and giggled loudly.

Harry chuckled fondly and lead the two towards his car. Niall is singing quietly in the backseat staring out the window while Louis and Harry talk in front. The drive is a bit long because of traffic and Niall ends up falling asleep in the backseat.

“Not so hyper now,” Harry mumbled fondly as he looked at the blonde through the mirror and Louis turned around and smiled.

They get home twenty minutes later and Louis gently wakes Niall up.

“Don’t wanna,” Niall whines but let's Louis remove his seatbelt and soon Harry is over and picks him up. “Harry! I can walk.”

“We know, but you were being too slow and we kinda can’t leave you out here,” Harry explains as Louis shuts the car door and leads the two inside.

“Weren’t we supposed to go eat dinner? I’m starving,” Niall says once they’re inside and Harry sets him back down on the ground.

“Yeah, but how about we order something instead? We can have a chill evening.”

“Sounds good by me,” Louis said with a shrug.

Niall nods and goes to sit on the stairs and lets out a yawn as Harry and Louis argued about what to have. Niall rolled his eyes and let out a long sigh.

“Just pick something! I’m going to starve to death!” Niall shouted, silencing their bickering and making the two look over at the blonde. “Besides, I want Chinese food.”

“Chinese it is,” Harry said with a smile and walked off to go call their favorite place.

“You have all of us wrapped around your little finger, it’s insane,” Louis told Niall, going over to the blonde and leaning down to press a quick kiss to his cheek.

“It’s cause I’m cute and loveable and you’ll all be my slaves at some point without realizing it,” Niall says with a loud cackle right after and stands up as Louis gasps playfully, ready to run upstairs but Louis simply grabs him by his hips and pulls him back. “Let go of me you peasant!”

“You’re such a princess.” Louis grins as he wraps his arms around Niall’s waist and holds him tight.

“You guys don’t call me princess for nothing.”

“Food should be here in thirty,” Harry says as he walks out of the kitchen and smiles at the two. “What are you two doing?”

“He called me a peasant!” Louis told Harry who simply laughed and shook his head. “And here I thought we were equals.”

“As if, I’m the original princess, princess,” Niall says and breaks free from Louis’ hold before heading upstairs for a quick shower.

Niall sits under the spray of the water for a few minutes, just thinking and enjoying having some time to himself. Ever since they went to Ireland, Niall hasn’t had much time to himself except for when he goes to the bathroom. He appreciates the boys’ concern, he does, but it sometimes makes Niall feel overwhelmed.

*

“Thought you’d turned into liquid and gone down the drain,” Louis jokes once he sees Niall walk into the living room dressed in one of his pink pajama bottom shorts and a simply white t-shirt with a picture of a kitten’s paw print on one side.

“Hmm funny, Tommo,” Niall replies as he takes a seat on the couch and grabs his food. “Where’s Harold?”

“Talking to Gemma. Kinda forgot she wasn’t even home.”

Niall giggled and grabbed some chopsticks, waiting patiently for Harry to return so they could eat but he was starving and his food smelled so good. He began to eat slowly and eventually Harry walked in and they all ate as Louis looked for something to watch on TV.

Three hours later Niall was fast asleep curled up in between Harry and Louis on the couch with his head on Harry’s lap and feet in Louis’. Harry wasn’t paying attention to the TV anymore and was instead stroking Niall’s hair and letting out a small sigh.

“Do you think we should wait longer?” Harry suddenly asks Louis in a whisper so they don’t wake the blonde up.

“What do you mean?” Louis asks with a frown as he looks over at Harry whose face is only illuminated by the glow of the TV since they’d turned off the lights

“Like, ask him out. I know Zayn and Liam want to wait a bit longer because of everything that’s happened, but I’m getting kinda impatient here.”

“As much as I’d like to do it now, I say we should wait. I don’t feel like Ni’s ready right now. I know he still struggles with himself, saw it when we went shopping today and he hesitated with some things. I love Ni, but I don’t want to pressure him into anything. And he’s so innocent,” Louis explains quietly as he rubs Niall’s lower leg gently.

“I know.”

They sit in silence for a few more minutes until Harry wakes up Niall and sends up upstairs. Louis tries not to laugh as Niall trips on the first step and quickly goes to help him up the stairs when Harry sighs.

“Night love,” Louis says as he tucks Niall into bed and kisses his forehead, smiling as he watches the blonde cuddle into Peter.

“Night Lou,” Niall mumbles sleepily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been like a century, but I did say updates would take a little long and Teen Wolf starts this Sunday and I am not ready


	32. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We want to know if you'd like to go on a date with all of us,” Zayn asked the blonde who looked quite surprised as he looked at all the boys.

The school year is fast approaching the group of five and Niall, despite saying he’s excited, has been very nervous and a bit down lately. The four others through their group chat (the one without Niall in it) decided to go ahead and do something special for the blonde to cheer him up again. They decided it was about time they also did something about their feelings towards the small blonde and so they came up with a plan to take him out on his first date. The only problem they’re facing right now is how they’re going to approach the subject with the blonde.

Niall’s currently sitting on his bedroom floor coloring in one of those adult coloring books and with Peter sitting between his legs as he colors in the complicated designs. Adrianna had recommended he try some, but they honestly only gave him a headache. He didn’t know if the lads were home, he’d been having an off day so he’d pretty much spent it in his room.

“Why aren’t you guys with Niall?” Gemma asks the four boys as she steps out into the yard where they’re sitting.

“We were talking about wanting to ask Niall out on a date, to get his mind off of starting school and everything,” Harry answered his sister who smiled.

“You guys should have done that the second you all got together again.”

“Whatever.”

“When do you guys plan on asking him out? You should do it now,” Gemma suggested with a playful smile on her face. “And I’ll get him all dolled up for you guys.”

“Gemma, as much as I love you you need to let us do this on our own. We don’t want to pressure Niall into anything either,” Harry tells her.

“Fine, just don’t wait too long,” Gemma warns them as she walks away.

“Do you think she’s right?” Zayn asks his friends once he knew Gemma wasn’t around to hear their conversation.

“She’s always right, but I’m kinda worried if it’s the right time or not? I mean, with everything that’s happened and with how sad he’s been lately, I don’t want him to feel pressured or anything,” Harry told his friends who nodded.

“True, but I’m gonna ask him out with or without you morons. Niall needs a bit of happiness and if we can give him that, than by all means,” Louis says as he stands up with determination and a look as if telling them to try and stop him.

“Well I’m with Louis on this one,” Liam says as he too stands up and Harry sighs.

“Alright. So we do it now?”

Liam and Louis both nodded and the four headed inside. They reached Niall’s room and smiled softly when they saw the blonde singing softly to himself as he colored with Peter sitting between his legs.

“Hi princess,” Louis greets softly as he walks towards the blonde and sits next to him.

“Hi,” Niall greets him a bit quietly with a light blush dusting over his cheeks.

Louis smiles back with a large smile and the others move into the room to sit next to them. Niall’s pink color pencil rolls out of his reach and he pouts.

“Zaynie, can I have my color please?” Niall asks the dark haired lad who smiles and nods before handing it back to the blonde. “So what brings you guys here? Thought you’d be outside all day enjoying your last days of freedom before going back to hell.”

Louis giggles at Niall’s words and the others roll their eyes.

“Well we'd rather much spend our time with you since we haven't seen you much all day. You okay?” Liam asked the blonde, watching as he colored in the little flower petals.

“Just been an off day. Really miss my mom. She always told me how happy she'd be when the day came where I was able to go back to school with you guys,” Niall explains sadly as he sets the pink color down and grabs a blue one.

“Must be hard, but just know that wherever she is, she's happy that you're here and safe and that she wouldn't want to see you sad. She'll always be with you,” Harry tells Niall as he brushes back his messy blonde hair.

It's quiet for a bit and Louis helps Niall color the intricate designs. Niall goes back to humming and he giggled when Louis’ color kept hitting his as if they were swords.

“Louis!” Niall whines but he's still laughing and the others smile.

“Kiss?” Louis asks as he pouts his lips at Niall who blushed before leaning forward and pressing a quick soft peck.

“Do you guys need something or did you come to spy on me?” Niall asked once he was done coloring no thanks to Louis who kept going outside the lines on purpose to make Niall mad.

“Well actually we want to ask you something,” Harry says nervously.

“Okay, ask away.”

“We want to know if you'd like to go on a date with all of us,” Zayn asked the blonde who looked quite surprised as he looked at all the boys.

“All of you wanna take me out?” Niall asked in surprise.

“Yeah. We all like you and we want to take you out on a nice date and distract you from all the bad things that have happened lately. We want to make you happy,” Liam explained as he looked at Niall who's playing with Peter nervously.

“Why would you all like me? I'm not special or anything,” Niall wondered sadly as he kept his gaze down on Peter.

“Babe, we've all liked you since we were kids we just didn't really know it,” Louis said as he pushed Niall's book and colors away to get closer.

“And you're so special to us. You've always been special to us, even when you were in Ireland and we had no idea if you were okay or not. There wasn't a single day that went by where we didn't think about you,” Zayn tells the blonde in a soft voice, watching as he bites his bottom lip.

“So will you let us take you on a date?” Harry asks him again.

Niall looks up with teary eyes and nods, a large smile painted on his face as the others cheer and attack him with hugs and kisses.

“So when and where are you taking me?” Niall asks once they're all settled on Niall’s bed.

“We’re taking you out this Saturday, but the rest is for you to find out and for us to know,” Louis says as he taps Niall’s nose, giggling as he scrunched it up cutely.

“But why?” Niall whined with a pout and Harry rolled his eyes fondly as he played with Niall’s hair.

“You gotta be patient, yeah?” Liam told Niall who sighed.

“Fine,” Niall sighed and curled up into Zayn’s side.

Later that night, the other three go home and Niall grabs Peter before heading into Harry’s room where he's on his laptop. Harry looks up and smiles before patting the space next to him and Niall crawls on the bed.

“Can I sleep with you?” Niall asks as he settles under the covers with Peter.

“Of course you can, princess,” Harry tells him with a smile, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead. “Are you doing okay? I know you’re probably sick tired of hearing that, but we want to make sure our princess is happy and all.”

“I’m not happy happy, but I know you guys will make me happy,” Niall says softly as he smiles up at Harry shyly.

Harry shuts his computer off and then gets under the blankets with Niall to hug him tight.

“I promise we’ll make you the happiest princess alive,” Harry mumbles as he stares into the blonde’s blue eyes.

“I know you guys will. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. It’s been a crazy few months, but I’m thankful to be home now with my boys.”

*

It’s Saturday and Niall has no idea what to wear for his date. Harry had left right after morning so all four could pick up Niall for their date. The blonde thought it was silly, but his heart fluttered at the idea of having the four pick him up at the door.

“Gemma!” Niall whined as he looked for the girl who was like an older sister to him.

“Yes my love?” She asked softly as she looked up from her phone.

“I have a date and I don’t know what to wear,” Niall told her as he sat across from her at the kitchen table, taking a grape from her plate.

“You have a date?! With who?”

“I don’t think you know them.” Niall shrugged with a playful smile on his face.

“Them?! Oh my gosh! You’re going out with the boys!” She squealed and then stood up, grabbing the blonde’s hand and taking him upstairs. “Well you’re going to look amazing so leave all of it to me.”

 _’Oh boy,’_ Niall thought as he rolled his eyes.

Niall sat on his bed as he watched Gemma look through his closet. She pulled out a skirt and showed it to the blonde who quickly shook his head.

“Babe, you have like three of these, do you ever plan on wearing them?” Gemma asked as she put the skirt away and went back to looking, eventually pulling out some black skinny jeans with rips at the knees.

“I don’t want to scare the boys away,” Niall mumbled as he played around with his fingers.

“If anything you’ll make them like you even more.”

Niall shook his head and began to hum as Gemma put his outfit on the bed. She had also picked out a gray crop top and denim jacket. She also grabbed three headbands from Niall’s vanity and held them up.

“Which one do you want?” She asked as she held up three lace cat ears headband. One was white, the other pink and the other black.

“Black one,” Niall tells her a bit quietly and he takes the headband when Gemma hands it to him.

“Get changed and I’ll come back in to do your makeup. When are the boys coming?”

“At four.”

“Good, we’ve still got half an hour. Change quickly!”

Gemma walked out of the room and Niall did as he was told, picking out some dark blue socks with cute little yellow ducks on them and grabbed his black converse. Niall called out for Gemma who walked in and smiled as she sat the blonde back down on the bed.

“Alright love, I promise I won’t go overboard with this. I know you want to take things step by step so if you feel like it’s too much, tell me,” Gemma said as she grabbed some things from Niall’s vanity.

The blonde nodded and let her curl his eyelashes before she coated them in a layer of mascara. She then added a bit more blush to his cheeks even though he didn’t really needed since he blushed easily. Gemma grabbed the tube of light pink lip gloss.

“So precious,” she squealed as she stepped back and watched as Niall adjusted the headband.

The doorbell went off and Niall giggled before racing downstairs. He took in a deep breath and opened the door slowly, smiling wide when he saw all four of his boys standing at the front porch, all dressed nice yet casual for their first date. What surprised Niall was the white Adidas crop top Louis was wearing, though his jeans were high waisted so he wasn’t showing much skin.

“Hi princess, you look so beautiful,” Liam speaks up after they all recover after seeing their blonde princess.

“My baby’s always beautiful,” Louis says as he goes over to Niall and presses a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Wait! No one is leaving before I get a picture! Mom really wanted to see her babies before heading off,” Gemma says as she makes them all scooch in together, Niall in the middle with Zayn and Harry on either side. “Say cheese!”

“Cheese,” they all groaned out, but smiled wide for the picture.

“Alright, have fun and take care of each other,” Gemma tells them as she ushers them out the door.

“So where are we going?” Niall asks from the backseat of Liam’s car in between Harry and Louis.

“You’ll see,” Liam replies as he looks at Niall through the rearview mirror and they all chuckle as Niall pouts.

Niall sighs and stares out the front window as Zayn fiddles with the radio, turning up the volume when a Fleetwood Mac song comes on. Niall smiles and looks down at his lap as he realizes what song it is.

 _“Can you hear me calling out your name? You know that I’m falling and I don’t know what to say. I’ll speak a little louder, I’ll even shout,”_ Niall sang softly, Harry joining him halfway through.

“No way!” Niall gasps when they reach their destination, looking out the window and seeing roller coasters and a ferris wheel.

“We thought bringing you to a theme park would be a good first date. What do you think?” Zayn asks the blonde who looks anxious to get out of the car, but since he’s trapped between Harry and Louis.

“Yes! Let’s go!” Niall screams as he climbs over Harry’s lap to open the door and they all laugh at Niall’s excitement.

“Babe, stop or you’ll get hurt,” Harry says, but sighs as Niall falls to the ground.

Zayn was the quickest to get out of the car and help the blonde up, making sure he was okay and dusting him off. Niall simply giggled and thanked Zayn who placed his headband back on his head after picking it up from the ground.

“You sure you’re okay?” Liam asks the blonde once they’re all out of the car and crowding around the blonde who won’t stand still.

“Yes, can we please go now?! I wanna go on all the rides and eat cotton candy and-!”

“Whoa, slow down princess. We’ve got the rest of the day to do all those things and eat all the junk food you want,” Louis tells the blonde.

The five head towards the entrance and buy their tickets at the front, Niall jumping excitedly. Once inside, they stand around in a circle away from the way of others.

“Where to first, Nialler?” Liam asks the blonde who bites his lip.

“The roller coaster!” Niall tells them with a large grin.

“Go big or go home,” Louis mumbles but they all nod and the blonde giggles and leads the way towards the roller coaster, glad that the line is short.

Niall sits next to Zayn on the ride with Liam and Louis and then Harry sitting with some stranger. The ride starts off slow as it heads upwards and once it reaches the very top, it plunges back down quickly, making them all scream and throw their hands up in the air.

After that ride, Niall drags them towards the bumper cars where Liam doesn’t want to ride so he takes pictures of his boys instead and cheers them on. Afterwards they go on four more rides before Niall declares that he’s hungry and they buy food and sit at a bench under a tree watching families walk by, little kids with stuffed animals and balloons tied to their wrist looking happy with both their parents and making Niall’s chest ache.

“Are you having fun babe?” Harry asked the blonde, breaking him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah. A lot of fun. Thank you guys so much for doing this,” Niall tells them with the blush growing on his cheeks.

“Well our princess only deserves the best,” Louis says as he leans over to kiss Niall’s cheek, leaving behind ketchup and mustard stains from the hotdog he was eating.

“Lou!” Niall whines with a giggle and Zayn rolls his eyes fondly as Liam wipes at Niall’s cheek gently.

After eating, they walk around for a bit so they don't get on rides with full tummies. It's getting a bit dark now and the lights are starting to come on, but they're not in a hurry. The park doesn't close until midnight anyways.

“Alright my lovely princesses, let your prince win you something nice,” Harry says as they walk up to a booth.

“More like frog prince,” Louis mumbles to Niall who giggles into his hand.

“Don't embarrass yourself, Bambi,” Zayn teases Harry who's scoffs.

“Alright boys, don't tease the poor boy,” Liam speaks up in Harry’s defense, his arm around Zayn’s waist and holding him tightly to his side.

“Thanks bae,” Harry winks at Liam who groans.

Niall and Louis watch with amused smirks as Harry throws the first ball and misses completely the old fashioned milk bottles and Zayn hides his smile into Liam’s shoulder. Harry throws the second ball and knocks down the first tower of bottles, the other four cheering him on now. Harry grabs the third and final ball and aims it at the second tower, knocking that one down as well.

“Yes! In your faces!” Harry shouts excitedly as he turns to look at his dates who only clap.

“Alright bud, you can pick any two presents,” the guy in the booth tells Harry who looks around at all the stuffed animals on display.

“Hmm I'll take two of those light pink bears with the tiaras on top,” Harry tells the guy who nods and grabs two of the bears before handing them to Harry who thanks him before turning to his two princesses. “For you my ladies.”

“Call us ladies one more time,” Louis threatened but took his bear while Niall took his with a large grin on his face.

“Thank you, prince Harry,” Niall says as he leans up to press a kiss to Harry’s cheek.

“Yeah, thanks you,” Louis says much softer than before and he too kisses Harry but on the other cheek.

“Show off,” Zayn teases Harry who sticks his tongue out at him in reply.

“Bunch of children,” Liam says under his breath but there's a smile on his face anyways and the five walk away to their next destination.

“Can we go on the Ferris wheel?” Louis asks the group who nod and head off in the direction of the ride.

Thankfully the ride is six to a basket, so no one gets left behind and they're lucky no one else gets put in with them. Niall, Louis and Zayn squish into one seat together while Liam and Harry sit on the other.

“How are you liking your day so far, Nialler?” Louis asks the blonde who’s holding the bear to his chest as he stares out and watches as they go up higher and higher at a slow pace.

“I'm loving it!” He sings cheerfully and Louis sighs as he rests his head on Niall’s shoulder.

“And you really do realize that we all like you a lot, right?” Liam asks him, just so they're all on the same page.

“Yeah and I really like all of you guys as well,” Niall replies seriously. “I'm just really lucky to have all of you in my life, even after so long. You've helped me feel comfortable with who I really am and I really appreciate that. I always dreamed that I'd be saved by my prince but I got lucky and got three and a princess.”

“Aww! Niall!” Louis cooed with slightly teary eyes as he hugged the blonde tightly.

“We were always sure we'd get to be with you again and we never gave up wishing for that day. Now that you're here all we want is for you to be happy because you deserve it. I know the last six years weren't easy and you're still going through a lot right now, but we're here with you and you've got nothing to be afraid of anymore,” Zayn told the blonde who gave him a grateful smile.

They're quiet as they reach the very top and Niall lets out a soft content sigh. This was all he ever wanted, to be with his boys again and he was finally happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done with the next chapter so expect another update next week. I apologize for the wait and I really don't want to make this story any longer than I should considering it turns two years old next month.
> 
> ot5 is rising (i wish it would rise in real life, but whatever)


	33. Back To School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall sat up in realization. He would be going back to school today. He was definitely not looking forward to it.

Niall woke up to the sound of his alarm going off from somewhere to his right. He groaned and reached over to shut it off. He laid on his back just staring at the ceiling and trying hard not to fall asleep.

“Niall, get up! Time for school!” Harry yelled from the other side of his bedroom door and knocked on it a few times.

Niall sat up in realization. He would be going back to school today. He was definitely not looking forward to it.

*

Niall walked down the stairs dressed in some light blue skinny jeans with a long sleeved shirt he'd taken from Liam and wearing his black Vans.

“Morning love. Ready for school?” Anne asked as she placed a plate of pancakes on the table for Niall, next to Harry.

“No,” Niall mumbles as he sits on the chair and pours himself some orange juice. “I'm nervous.”

“You probably are, but things will be alright, Niall. You'll be fine and you'll see old friends again. I'm sure you're excited to see them.”

“Well yeah, I guess.”

“You'll be fine, princess. You'll have us with you and you've got every class with at least one of us,” Harry reassures the blonde as he leans over to press a kiss to the corner of Niall's mouth.

After their first date, they went out on three more and though they're not exactly boyfriends, Niall knows it's only a matter of time before they make it more official. Niall isn't really sure how their five way relationship will work, but he knows he wouldn't have it any other way.

Niall blushed as he sees Anne smiling at the pair. She was probably their biggest fan, well besides Gemma.

Niall and Harry finish their breakfast before going off to brush their teeth and grab their backpacks.

“Alright mom, we’re off,” Harry says as they walk into the kitchen where she's cleaning.

“Alright boys, come here,” she tells the two who walk over to her. “Be good and have a great first day. Harry, take care of my angel.”

“I will Mom,” Harry reassures her as he wraps an arm around Niall's waist.

Niall hugs Anne and she kisses his cheek before they say goodbye and head out. It's slightly chilly out and Niall sighs as he gets in the passenger seat of Harry's car.

“I talked to Greg last night,” Niall says to distract himself from feeling so nervous and places his shaking hands under his thighs.

“Yeah? How's everything back in Ireland?” Harry asks as he looks over at the blonde briefly.

“He says he's doing great and Denise is doing fine. He told me that he was happy for me and everything. I miss him and he said they'd come and visit before Denise gets too pregnant.”

“Well that's great!”

Niall nods and all too soon, they arrive at the school. The front lawn is filled with kids just standing around with their friends. He takes in a deep shaky breath and gets out of the car with Harry, feeling like they're all staring at him but in reality, they're not even paying attention.

“Hey, you'll be fine,” Harry tells the blonde as he wraps an arm around his shoulders as they begin to walk towards the entrance.

“How's our princess?” Liam asks as they all meet up at someone's locker.

“Nervous,” Niall confessed as he hugged Liam.

“You'll be fine,” Zayn reassured the younger boy.

“Yeah! You've got your first class with me,” Louis piped up excitedly as he opened his locker.

“I'm going to take him to his locker and show him around as much as I can before the bell rings,” Harry says as Niall settles back into his side.

“Alright. We’ll see you guys around,” Liam tells the two who nod and walk off down the hall.

As they walk, Niall pays attention to every detail, wanting to memorize his way around the school. The pass by the main office with a news board outside with important dates and reminders for students. They pass by the lunchroom that's filled with students and the first floor bathrooms. At the end of the hall they round the corner and stop in front of another set of lockers.

“Alright princess, this locker is yours. Need help opening it?” Harry asked Niall who nodded and said a quiet please.

Harry nods and quickly opens the light blue colored metal door. Inside there's three shelves at the top and a hook for coats and stuff. Niall thanks Harry and leaves his three extra notebooks and a small journal inside before closing the door and giggling at the loud sound it makes. Harry smiles fondly and ruffles his hair.

“All set!” Niall tells him.

“Good. Now remember that for your free period you need to go talk to the school counselor, alright?” Harry reminds the blonde who nods.

“I know Harry and I've got a reminder on my phone.”

“Hi Harry!” Someone greeted and they both turned to look at the stranger who smiled wider when he spotted Niall. “Blondie!”

“Ed!” Niall cheered and launched himself at the ginger who laughed and hugged the blonde tightly.

“Glad to see you're a lot better now than the last time I saw you,” Ed says as he pulls away to look at Niall who’s smiling wide.

“Wait, when did you guys see each other?” Harry wonders as he looks at the two with a slight frown.

“When Gemma came home from college and I went for that walk, I was actually going to see my brother and Bressie and Ed gave me a ride after he helped me out,” Niall explains to Harry a bit nervously.

“Well I'm glad you bumped into Ed, but I don't want you going off alone.”

The bell rings and Harry and Niall say goodbye to Ed. Harry walks Niall to his classroom up in the second floor.

“Alright princess, have a good first day,” Harry tells him as they reach his class where Louis is already waiting.

“He’ll be fine,” Louis assures him as he walks up to the two with a large grin and arm wrapping around Niall’s shoulders.

“Yeah okay. Be good you two,” Harry said, but he was looking mostly at Louis who rolled his eyes with that mischievous smirk on his face.

“If you get me detention on my first day, I’ll fight you,” Niall mumbled as Louis lead him inside the classroom.

“I’d like to see you try, shorty,” Louis teases him.

“We’re the same height!”

“Are we now?”

“Lou!”

His first class isn’t anything special. It’s just an English class and the teacher is a nice lady that lets them all sit where they want so Niall and Louis sit in the back. The blonde doesn’t recognize anyone by face, just a few names sound familiar and when the teacher calls his name, he shrinks in his seat as seven heads turn to look at him. And then the whispering starts.

“Students, settle down!” The teacher instructs them. “Niall, you’re new this year, right? Previously homeschooled in Ireland?”

“Y-Yeah,” Niall stutters out a response.

“Well welcome back to school and I hope things aren’t too rough for ya.”

“Thanks.”

Thankfully the rest of the morning runs smoothly and then lunchtime arrives and he walks out of his art class with Zayn and the two head down to the lunchroom.

“How’s your morning?” Liam asks the blonde as he joins the two on their walk. Liam hasn’t had a class with Niall yet so he’s been worried.

“It’s been okay I guess. Some kids have seemed to remember me and others look at me weird,” Niall explains with a small shrug.

“Come on, let’s grab our food and head to our usual table,” Zayn tells the two as they get in line.

Niall gets a pizza with a bottle of apple juice and his apple before following his two boys to a table towards a corner of the room. The lunchroom is crowded and loud, something that makes Niall a little uneasy since he’s only ever been with his boys and never in overly crowded places. Niall smiles when he sees Harry already at the table with his own lunch bag.

“Where’s Lou?” Niall asks as he sits across from Harry.

“Bathroom. How was your appointment with the counselor?” Harry asks him as they all settle down.

“He was nice and it went. He said he wants to see me at least once a week for the next two months and after that he’ll just let me make my own appointments if I need them and he’ll be talking with Adrianna in case he sees that I might need more sessions with her or not,” Niall explained with a sigh.

“You don’t sound too happy. What’s wrong?” Liam asked the blonde as he rubbed his back.

“I’m sick tired of talking about it all. Adrianna keeps asking if I’m okay with everything that’s happened and Mr Jacobs is treating me like I have no idea how school works. I know Mr Jacobs is there to help with this transition, but I really don’t need it and I don’t want to have to talk to two different people about my problems.”

“Well it won’t be for much longer, princess. And it’s for your own good,” Zayn reminds Niall who nods and looks down at his food, not really interested in the sad looking pizza on his plate.

“Hiya lads! And Harold,” Louis greets his friends with a large smile as he sits next to Harry. “Where do we all stand on this first day of school so far?”

“I can’t wait to graduate,” Zayn mumbles in annoyance.

“Decent so far,” Liam replies with a smile.

“I hate being the new kid,” Niall speaks up next as he opens his juice.

“It’s school,” Harry shrugs.

“Well I already managed to piss off one of my teachers,” Louis states proudly.

“New record. Last year it took you three days,” Zayn tells the brunette boy who laughs with a nod.

“And I got Mr Harrison again for maths.”

“I have Mr Harrison at the end of the day. Is he okay?” Niall asks Louis who chuckles and shakes his head.

“Good luck kid, he’s strict and an awful teacher. The way he teaches just makes you feel even more confused in whatever the hell we’re learning,” Louis replies as he steals Niall’s pizza. “You weren’t gonna eat it, right?”

“No, looks gross.”

Louis shrugged and began to eat the pizza as they settle into random conversations. All too soon their lunch period is coming to an end and Zayn and Louis lead Niall to their next class. They’re heading into their world history class and Niall smiles when he sees Ed sitting near the front with two other kids.

“Niall, come here for a sec, mate!” Ed calls out and Niall tells Louis and Zayn to pick their seats as Niall walks over to the ginger man. “Nialler, I’m sure you remember Josh.”

“Josh?” Niall asks as he looks at the boy who’s smiling wide before he stands up and embraces Niall tightly. “It’s been so long!”

“It sure has, kid. When did you get back?” Josh asks as he pulls away, the smile still big on his face.

“Um around three months ago I think. It’s so good to see you again.”

“Same.”

The bell rings and Niall says goodbye to the two before he goes back to where Louis and Zayn are sitting, Louis with a scowl on his face and Niall giggles because it’s all too familiar. It takes Niall back to the time when Josh was new and Louis had gotten jealous. Those were quite the times.

“Glad you’re acquainted with Josh again,” Louis mumbles as he taps his fingers against his desk and Zayn sighs as Niall giggles.

“You know I only have eyes for you guys, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just tone it down a notch with the jealousy, mate,” Niall tells Louis as he places his hands over Louis’ to get him to stop tapping.

“I’m sorry.”

*

“I’m so done with this school shit,” Niall groans tiredly as he gets into the passenger seat of Harry’s car after a long school day.

“It’s only day one, princess. You’ve still got the rest of this year and the next,” Harry tells Niall who groans even louder. “Stop being a drama queen and let’s go home.”

They get home and Anne is still at work so they head inside and eat a snack. Niall sits down in the living room and does his homework right away, mad that he even got homework on his first day. Harry sits back and watches TV, stretching his legs until the tips of his toes brush against Niall’s backside.

“Harry!” Niall giggles, swatting at the older lad’s feet. “I’m trying to do my homework and your large feet are tickling me.”

“They’re not large, you’re just petite,” Harry argues with the blonde, kicking him playfully. “Everything is big to you.”

Niall gasped and narrowed his eyes at Harry.

“Ass.”

“No swearing princess.”

Anne arrived an hour later and Niall immediately went over to hug her. Anne laughed and hugged the blonde, kissing his head.

“How was school, princess?” She asked him, brushing back his hair.

“It was okay. The only fun part was seeing old friends,” Niall tells her as he follows her into the kitchen.

“And you talked to the counselor, right?”

“Yes I did and he’s seeing me again next week, but-”

“No buts sweetheart. I know you don’t want to keep going to see Adrianna and I know you certainly don’t want to talk to that counselor, but it’s to help you,” Anne told Niall who sighed and sat on the counter.

“But momma, I’m better- I feel a lot better now. I really don’t want to keep talking to anyone about my problems. There’s nothing new to talk about anyways. Adrianna was just there to help me get over everything that Bobby did to me and Mr Jacobs is just there to help me with this school thing,” Niall told her, hoping she would see his side and agree but she was already shaking her head negatively.

“Sweetie, I know you’re definitely a lot better than when you first got here, but you need to keep going until Adrianna says that you’re really okay. You can’t just drop your sessions so soon. You still have your moments Ni and talking to Adrianna about them will help in making those bad moments less and less,” Anne told the blonde.

“I know, but I’m just so tired though,” Niall told her and she nodded in understanding.

Harry walked in and over to Niall, wrapping him up in his arms. As much as he wanted to tell Niall that he could stop with his therapy, he knew his mom was right. He knew Niall needed to continue for a bit more to avoid him sinking into the past again.

*

It’s finally Friday and all five boys walk into Harry’s house after completing their first official week of school. Niall doesn’t even make it onto a couch, he drops his backpack to the side and drops face down onto the ground, groaning loudly.

“Get up you lazy butt,” Louis tells the blonde, nudging his side gently with his sock covered toe.

“No!” Niall whined childishly.

“Well did you forget that we have a date tonight?” Zayn reminded the blonde who flips onto his back.

“No, but I’m tired. I had my physical education class today and I’m in pain in places that I didn’t even know could feel pain!” Niall told them and Louis pouted playfully.

“I don’t care. We’re going out tonight and you’re going to get all pretty for us,” Louis told him as he grabbed Niall’s hands and tried getting him to sit up.

“How about you get all pretty this time and let me be. My assistant isn’t here.”

“Ni, seriously babe. We’ve been planning this all week. It’s dinner and a movie, there’s not much movement happening,” Liam pleaded the blonde who stood up almost instantly, leaving Louis to pout.

“Fine. I’ll go shower and get ready then,” Niall sighed, but pressed a kiss to Liam’s cheek and grabbed his bag before heading upstairs.

“He’s such a brat,” Harry says fondly and shakes his head as he watches the blonde walk up the stairs.

“But he's our brat,” Zayn says with a smile, watching Louis race after the blonde.

“Hey, heard what happened between you and Jake during your free period. You okay?” Louis asked as he sat on Niall’s bed which now had light blue sheets.

“Can't believe my bully from when we were four is still after me. He's an asshole,” Niall grumbled as he placed his backpack near his desk and removed his shoes. “I'm fine though.”

“You sure? Heard that Josh had to hold you back because you wanted to punch Jake.”

“Well he was talking about my mom and since they don't know about her passing, he said that she dumped me here because she got tired of having a fairy for a son. I snapped and I would have liked to punch him, but Josh held me back,” the blonde explains as he sits next to Louis.

“I'm sorry none of us were there with you.”

“Don't be, I have to fight my own battles as well. I may be a princess, but I'm not made of glass.”

Louis grinned and kissed Niall’s cheek.

“Start getting ready, yeah? I'm gonna head out as well and I'll see you later,” Louis told him as he got off the bed and headed towards the door.

After Louis left, Niall went to go take a quick shower, feeling excited for yet another date night with his boys. He wants for them to make things official now, but Niall doesn't want to rush into anything. He's hesitant with getting so much affection from them and he can't wrap his head around why they even like him.

*

Niall walks downstairs wearing some black leggings and a gray oversized sweater with his usual vans. He finds Harry waiting for him in the living room in black skinny jeans and a plaid button down.

“Ready to go, princess?” Harry asks him with a smile and Niall nods.

“Yeah are we meeting the others at the place?” Niall asks as he holds Harry's hand as they head outside.

“Yeah. We're going to dinner first, sound okay?”

Niall nods and thanks Harry as he opens the passenger door. Harry drives them to their usual diner where Liam, Zayn and Louis are already waiting. Niall goes up to hug each of his boys who kiss his cheek in greeting.

“Can we go in? I'm starving,” Louis whined as he held Harry's hand.

They all nodded and headed inside the diner.

Niall sat next to Zayn, resting his head on his shoulder every now and then with a large smile on his face as he watched his four boys joke around. It all felt like a dream most times, being back with his boys after so many years, but it was real and he loved it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart is heavy with that earthquake that happened in Mexico, my beautiful Mexico. My second home.
> 
> And to think that hurricane Maria is making a mess just days after Irma, it's frightening to see all of this bad stuff happen.
> 
> Stay safe you guys!! xx


	34. Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So anything special you want for your birthday?” Harry asked the two boys, but mostly Niall since he already knew what to get Louis.

It's October now. Leaves are falling. The days are getting shorter and nights longer. It's colder and it's two months before Louis and Niall's birthdays. Niall's excited to celebrate his birthday with Louis again, but the only wishes his mom was still around.

School’s been okay for the most part. Niall has found it a bit difficult to adjust to being around other students and such. With his claustrophobia and anxiety, homeschool was definitely better. His old bully hasn't bothered Niall too much, just a few rude comments here and there but nothing big.

As for Niall and his boys, they made things official last week after another semi successful date. They'd gone on a picnic but just before they left, it started to rain and it quickly drenched them. Niall had woken up with a fever the next day, but it'd been worth it. He still limits himself to only kissing them on their cheeks or a quick peck to their lips, but he's not ready for any of that even though he has kissed both Liam and Louis before.

Niall's almost done with his sessions with Adrianna. She said he'd only have about four more sessions and then he'd be done. Niall sometimes went to go see Mr Jacobs, the school counselor, mainly when his school things became too much and he felt overwhelmed with it all.

“Niall,” Louis called as he walked into the blonde's room, raising an eyebrow when he saw the blonde sitting at his vanity trying to decide between a pink nail polish or a pink nail polish. “What are you doing?”

“Can't decide between this cotton candy pink or this lighter pink one,” Niall tells Louis as he looks at him through the mirror.

“Sweetie, they're the same color.”

“No they're not, you uncultured elf.”

“Sweetie, I’m three inches taller than you.”

“Well you were born on Christmas Eve, so you're an elf,” Niall insists as he sets both nail polishes down to turn around and look at Louis who’s now sitting on his bed.

“Whatever. Are you seeing Adrianna tomorrow?” Louis asked Niall who sighed.

“Yeah, kinda excited now knowing that I’m almost done. Though I will miss her, she’s been very nice.”

“I’m- we’re- all very proud of you for how far you’ve come.”

“Thank you. And is there a reason why you’re here?” Niall asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“Rude. I came to ask you on a date. I mean, I get that we’re all dating and yeah, but we also want to have individual dates with each other. Think Harry is taking Liam and Zayn out to see some horror movie and well we don’t like them so I decided it’d be a great time to ask you on a date,” Louis says with a smile as he leans over to press a kiss to Niall’s cheek.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Well neither of us can drive, so I was thinking we can order some pizza and watch movies in my treehouse? The girls won’t bother us there and we can snuggle under some blankets.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Niall says with a smile.

Niall forgets about his nails and informs Anne of his plans with Louis. She gives him permission and Louis helps the blonde pack an overnight bag with extra clothes along with a blanket, Peter, his inhaler and an extra hoodie in case. After that the two walk down the street holding hands and talking about their birthday plans.

“Any pizza preference?” Louis asks as he grabs his cellphone to place the order.

“Extra cheese, please,” Niall told him as he climbed up the ladder to the treehouse.

Louis stayed down in the garden to place the order while Niall sat his bag in a corner of the treehouse. He then pulled Peter out of his bag and his favorite blanket. Louis walks up and smiled at the blonde.

“Cozy?” He asks with a smirk when he sees Niall sitting on the mountain of blankets and pillows he’d pulled up for their occasion.

“Very,” Niall tells him with a giggle.

“What movie do you want to watch?” Louis asks as he grabs his laptop and sets up Netflix.

“Um Moana!”

Louis chuckles and gets under the covers with the blonde and looks for the movie before he hits play. Nearly half an hour later, Lottie appears with a box of pizza, paper plates and a soda. She smiles at the two and sets the stuff down.

“Hi love,” Lottie greeted Niall.

“Hi Lottie!” Niall greeted her excitedly.

“Thanks for bringing the stuff up,” Louis tells his sister who waves him off.

“No problem. Text me if you need anything!” And with that, Lottie headed back down and Louis sets a slice on one plate and hands it to Niall before he grabs one of his own and settles back against their little nest to continue watching the movie.

Niall sang along to most of the songs and Louis could only stare at his princess with a smile. After the movie ended, Louis looked for another Disney movie and eventually settled on Mulan.

“So have any ideas for our birthday?” Louis asks a while later as he holds Niall to his chest as Mulan cuts her hair with the sword.

“No, not really. I don’t care what we do, I’m just happy to be back with you guys and spend it with my favorite boys again after so long,” Niall replies, his eyes glued on the screen as Mulan sneaks out of her house to take her father’s place.

“We’ll think of something. We’ve got a bit of time.”

The rest of October passes by in a breeze. The days get shorter and really cold quickly. School’s still a bit rough for Niall, especially since he’s still getting picked on by his childhood bully, but he’s got his boys to defend him if he needs to.

November arrives with Niall’s final dates with Adrianna. While he’s happy to finally be freed of his sessions, he knows he’ll miss her. And they always brought a sense of peace to him afterwards, especially after a particularly bad day. Those bad days aren’t often anymore, but sometimes every now and then Niall will just want to curl up under the covers in his bed and stay there all day.

They’re a month away from Niall and Louis’ sixteenth birthday and both Anne and Louis’ mom are brainstorming ideas for ways to celebrate the two boys without turning it into a huge celebration since Niall didn’t want anything with too many people because he was still upset about his mother.

*

“So anything special you want for your birthday?” Harry asked the two boys, but mostly Niall since he already knew what to get Louis.

“Uh not really. I mean, this is more than I could have asked for compared to the last six years. Every year I’d ask for the same thing, to be able to spend my birthday with you guys again and I’m just happy that my wish is finally coming through,” Niall explained with a shrug as he grabbed his apple juice and took a drink from it.

“But you must want something. I don’t know, music or clothes,” Louis tried but Niall shook his head.

“Just get me whatever. I don’t really care. Unfortunately I couldn’t spend my birthday with both my best friends and my mom,” Niall shrugged sadly as he stood up with his lunch tray and went over to throw the remainder of his food away before heading out of the lunchroom without another word.

“He’s been really down these last few days,” Liam comments as he turns his attention back to his food after having watched Niall leave the lunchroom.

“Yeah, he really misses his mom and I wish we could do something about it. It’s just- it isn’t fair, you know? He really went through a lot those six years he was in Ireland and just when he thought he could finally be happy again, he had to lose his mom,” Louis explains sadly as he sniffled a bit. He hates that his baby’s had it rough.

“I know love, it really hasn’t been fair,” Zayn replies softly as he rubs Louis’ back since he was sitting next to the boy.

They sit in silence for a few more minutes until Ed runs over to them with wide eyes and they all sit up in alarm.

“Uh you need to go save your boy. Jake’s at it again,” Ed told them and that was all they needed before racing out of the lunchroom with Ed behind them.

They find Jake and Niall in the hall that leads to the bathroom with Josh standing between them and Niall crying with his hands covering his ears and eyes squeezed shut.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Zayn shouted angrily as they stood next to Josh to block Niall from Jake while Louis pulled Niall into his arms and held him tight.

“Aww the little baby needs his daddies to come and rescue him. How sad and pathetic,” Jake taunted and Zayn lost it, pressing Jake up against some lockers and glaring at him.

“Fucking leave him alone, asshole. He’s been through a lot and he certainly doesn’t need you making things worse,” Zayn growled at Jake who scoffed.

“Been through a lot? Is that why his parents dumped him here? Because they didn’t want a freak for a son anymore?”

Niall’s breath hitched and Louis shushed him as he held the blonde tighter, sending Jake a harsh glare. Zayn slammed Jake against the lockers again, his eyes set into an ice cold glare.

“Don’t you fucking dare talk about him like that?! You don’t have any idea of what he’s been through,” Liam shouted angrily as he too crowded Jake’s space where Zayn was still holding onto him.

“What in the world is going on here?” Mister Jacobs asks as he walks over to the group with another teacher and they separate Zayn, Liam and Jake.

“He was talking shit about Niall,” Harry tells the counselor who sighs and shakes his head.

“You,” the other teacher says as she points at Jake. “Principal’s office now. You know we don’t tolerate any kind of bullying in this school and this is your third strike.”

Jake grumbled and marched down towards the direction of the main office.

“Niall?” Louis called the blonde quietly, rubbing his back and pressing small kisses to his cheek.

“You boys want to step into my office to calm him down?” Mister Jacobs tells the group who nod. “Take all the time you need and if the bell rings, I’ll give you a pass to your next class.”

“Thank you,” Harry tells him as they begin to lead Niall to mister Jacobs office.

Once at his office they sit Niall down on a chair and they all stand around him.

“Babe, don’t pay attention to any of what he says. He has no idea of how rough you’ve had it and he’s just saying things because- well because he likes to see people upset over his words,” Liam says softly as he cups Niall’s face and wipes away his tears. “Princess, we don’t like seeing you this upset.”

“I-It hurts because I know Bobby d-didn’t w-want me!” Niall sobbed and they all looked at him sadly.

“Baby, no,” Zayn says sadly as he pulls the blonde into his arms and hugs him tight, rubbing his back. “Shh love.”

Louis left the room to grab a water bottle from the vending machine out in the hall that leads to the lunchroom. He returns and finds Niall curled up on Liam’s lap but no longer crying. He was just hiccuping.

“Here princess,” Louis says softly as he uncaps the water bottle and hands it to Niall.

The room falls silent as Niall drinks, the bell ringing startling all five of them.

“Are you feeling better now?” Liam asks as he rests his chin on Niall’s head.

“Yeah. Sorry I’m such a baby,” Niall tells them quietly and the others chuckle.

“You’re not a baby, love. It’s fair that you got upset. He said some pretty mean things,” Harry reassured the blonde who let out a tired sigh as the bell went off again, signaling the start of their sixth period.

“Are you ready to head back to class or do you need a few more minutes?” Zayn asks next after a few more minutes.

“I’m ready,” Niall tells them but he doesn’t sound convinced.

Louis gets mister Jacobs back in and he smiled at the boys.

“Everything good?” Mister Jacobs asked as he sits behind his desk and grabs the tardy slips.

“For now,” Liam answers and the counselor nods.

“Alright, where to boys?” The man asks them as he clicks his pen and they all tell him their destinations.

Mister Jacobs hands them all their slips and they leave his office with a small thanks.

*

December arrives and before any of them knows it, it’s the twenty fourth. Louis’ birthday. He spends the day with his family and gets texts from all four of his boys and FaceTimes Niall for about half an hour until he gets called down to dinner with his family.

Niall meanwhile has been helping Anne in the kitchen for Christmas dinner tomorrow while Harry and Gemma went out with the excuse that they needed some last minute shopping. Niall’s busy decorating Christmas cookies and singing a Christmas song when the front door opens and Anne smiles wide before going over to greet who Niall thought was Gemma and Harry.

“Niall, sweetie, can you come out here?!” Anne calls from the foyer and Niall frowns as he sets down the frosting.

“Sure!” Niall calls and washes his hands and dries them on a red dishtowel with snowflakes on it. He then proceeds to straighten out his white sweatshirt with a cute reindeer in front and pulls the sleeves down.

Niall walks out from the kitchen and heads over to where Anne is, gasping when he sees his older brother and Denise.

“Oh my gosh!” Niall cried excitedly as he hugged his brother who chuckled. “You guys are here!”

“Of course, love, we couldn’t miss spending the holidays and your birthday with you,” Denise says with a smile as she runs her hand through Niall’s blonde hair.

Niall pulled away from Greg and then hugged Denise, careful of her bump. He couldn’t believe his brother was actually there. He really couldn’t, and although they couldn’t all be together anymore, Niall was happy. Really happy.

*

“Where are you guys staying?” Niall asks Greg, Denise being with Gemma and Anne for some ‘girl time’.

“At a hotel and we’re leaving before New Year’s Eve. We would love to stay longer, but with Denise’s pregnancy, I don’t want to risk it much,” Greg tells his little brother who’s eating a cookie.

“I understand, I do. I’m just happy that you guys are here for my birthday. I honestly didn’t think you’d be able to come.”

“Are you really happy here?” Greg asks his little brother.

“Very happy. Of course I miss mom and all, but this is where I belong and where I’ve dreamed about being for the last six years.”

“And they’re taking good care of you, right?”

“Very good care. They sometimes treat me like I’m made of glass and I hate it on most occasions, but on my bad days I always make sure to thank them for being so careful with me,” Niall tells his brother with a small smile on his face as he sets his half eaten cookie down on a napkin.

“I worry about you nearly every day, wondering if you actually are okay or not, but I’m glad you are.”

Niall smiled at his brother and got off his seat to go give him a hug.

*

Niall woke up on the day of his birthday and just laid there. He was excited for the day ahead, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about how different things would be if his mom were around. He knows he can’t change that though and he’s determined to have a great day with his boys and the others. So he gets out of bed and heads straight to his bathroom to shower.

After spending his time in the bathroom, he comes out fully ready to face the day ahead. He can already hear people downstairs so he heads to his vanity and brushes his hair so his fringe falls across his forehead and he considers a haircut for a second but his thoughts are interrupted by a knock on his door.

“Come in!” Niall calls as he sets his brush down and stands back to watch the door open and Harry step inside with a smile.

“Happy birthday, princess,” Harry says as he goes over to hug the blonde tightly, pressing kiss after kiss to his head and cheeks.

“Thank you,” Niall answers softly with a large grin, giggling as Harry’s fingers tickle his sides lightly.

“Now come on, mom and Gemma made breakfast and Louis’ waiting downstairs for you. Greg called and said he’d take you out to lunch with Denise and Bressie later,” Harry explained as he pulled away from Niall and smiled at the cute light pink knit sweater Niall was wearing.

“Okay.” Niall shrugged and grabbed Harry’s hand as they began to walk downstairs.

“Happy birthday!” Anne, Gemma and Louis shouted with large smiles on their faces as Niall entered the kitchen with a blush on his cheeks and still holding Harry’s hand.

Niall went around hugging Anne and Gemma before he got pulled into a hug by Louis, who’d celebrated his birthday three days ago.

“Happy birthday my Irish princess,” Louis told him, continuing to hug him tight.

“Thank you,” Niall giggled and kissed Louis’ cheek before sitting at the table where Anne placed a plate with pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon.

After breakfast, Niall spent time with Harry and his mom and sister, Louis had headed back home after breakfast since he’d only arrived to spend breakfast with Niall. Afterwards, Niall was in the living room waiting for his brother when the doorbell went off and he went to go open the door quickly.

“Greg!” Niall cheered and hugged his brother tightly.

“Happy birthday, kiddo!” Greg told his baby brother as he hugged him tight. “Are you ready to go? Denise is in the car and Bressie will meet us at the restaurant.”

“I’m ready,” Niall grinned. “Just let me grab my coat and tell Anne.”

Greg nodded and Niall walked off to go find Anne and tell her goodbye.

Niall spends about three hours with his brother, Denise and Bressie. They have lunch and then head out to the mall to walk around for a bit and have some ice cream before Gemma sends Greg a text telling him that they can take Niall home. They drive him home and then once they walk inside, all of Niall’s boys and their families are waiting for him with balloons, light pink streamers and a giant Happy Birthday banner hanging on a wall.

“Happy birthday, Niall!” They all shouted excitedly and Niall smiled big before walking forward and being embraced by all four of his boys.

“Happy birthday, babes,” Zayn whispers into Niall’s ear, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

Niall then feels like a rag doll being passed around and hugging everyone, getting kisses to his cheeks from all the moms and Louis’ younger twin sisters, Daisy and Phoebe. He loves it though. Loves the attention he’s getting from all of them and loves being back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes it's been like a billion years and for that I apologize and I would also like to inform you guys that this story will end next chapter. I had in mind making it forty chapters long, but screw that because it's been 2 years since I posted the very first chapter and this story is seriously giving me headaches. So enjoy it while you can and I really hope to get the last chapter up before Christmas, but I'm slow so yeah :)


	35. The Last One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I need to go to Ireland,” Niall tells them quickly, biting his bottom lip afterwards.

It’s crazy how fast time goes by. One minute Niall’s back in London after six long years in Ireland and the next he’s three hours away from graduating with his boyfriends. Niall’s brother, sister in law and his nearly two year old nephew are in town and Niall couldn’t be happier. He hasn’t heard from his father since he was in Ireland for his mom’s funeral, but he’s happy. Very happy.

“Are you almost ready love? We have to go soon,” Harry says as he walks into Niall’s room where he smiles at his blonde boyfriend.

“Yeah, was just writing something,” Niall says as he closes his journal and places it inside a drawer in his nightstand before looking up at Harry with a bright smile.

“The boys will meet us at the school and so will mom, Gemma and Dave.”

Dave is Anne’s fiance and he’s taken that fatherly role that Niall’s always wanted. He’s a great guy and has two kids from a previous relationship; Emma who’s sixteen and Mikey who’s thirteen. They’re both nice kids, but Mikey can be a pain sometimes. Niall likes them though.

*

“Oh my boys!” Anne says with tears in her eyes as she hugs both Niall and Harry.

“Mom,” Harry whined as he made a face and Niall giggled, clearly happy with Anne’s affection.

Gemma and Dave looked at the two boys with amusement. Niall broke free first and went over to hug Gemma who pressed a kiss to his cheek, leaving behind a red lipstick stain and handed him some flowers and a balloon that said ‘Congratulations!’. Greg and Denise were next to congratulate the two boys, holding onto Niall a little more and saying how proud they were of him.

After that, they all break off and go to celebrate with their families, the blonde going out with his brother, his wife, Theo and Bressie. He has fun with his family and they share laughs and Greg and Denise talk about their lives in Ireland while Niall talks about his life with the boys.

The boys start off their summer by heading off together on a small vacation by the lake where they stay at the Styles’ lake house. Niall loves his boys, he really does, but sometimes being in a five way relationship can be difficult. Some days he feels left out, others he feels overwhelmed with having four boys wanting to kiss and cuddle him and not to mention that he has no idea how all five of them can have an intimate moment together. It hasn’t happened yet because Niall doesn’t feel ready. He’s in no rush and the boys respect that.

“So are we all gonna share a room or what?” Louis wondered as he fixed his snapback as they entered the lake house.

“Well I mean, it’s all up to you guys. The bed in the master bedroom is certainly big enough for all five of us,” Harry replied and suddenly four pair of eyes were on Niall, making the blonde squirm uncomfortably. In their nearly two years together, Niall has only ever shared a bed with Harry for a whole night and with Louis only during short naps. “There’s no pressure, princess. There’s three bedrooms.”

“Um I’d like to, but I’ll take my own room,” Niall replies and the other four nod though felt kind of disappointed. They’d really wanted Niall to sleep in the same bed with them so they could all cuddle.

Niall takes the room farthest from the master bedroom and sets his bags by the bed and sits down tiredly. He looks down at his pale thighs and plays with a loose thread on his jean shorts. Suddenly the bed dips and there’s an arm wrapping around his waist. Niall knows that it’s Liam just by his scent.

“Is something wrong?” Liam asks softly as he pulls Niall into his side and places a kiss to the top of his head.

“I just feel nervous,” Niall mumbles.

“We’re not pressuring you into anything, right?”

“No no, it’s not that. It’s just, like, I want to you know…” Niall trails off with a bright blush covering his face and he looks up at Liam who nods in understanding. “I’m just scared, I guess.”

“Well if you’re scared, maybe you aren’t ready to take such an important step. We know you love us, you don’t have to do this just to prove it to us, princess. Don’t feel pressured,” Liam says as he rubs the blonde’s side up and down. “Is that why you don’t want to sleep with us?”

“Partly. I just, you know since I’m claustrophobic, I feel like it could cause some problems during the night. Maybe I’ll try it once, but I can’t guarantee you that I won’t wake up in a panic because you lot are stealing my oxygen.”

“What? Oh, so now we’re stealing your oxygen?” Liam teases the blonde, digging his fingers into Niall’s sides and smiling wide as Niall bursts into loud giggles, face turning even more red.

The others walk in on Niall laying flat on his back begging Liam to stop as the two laugh.

Later that day, Harry and Liam are cooking dinner while Niall, Louis and Zayn are outside sitting on the picnic table that was on the back porch facing the lake.

“I’m not ready for college,” Louis says as he sets his phone down on the table and looks out into the lake.

“Don’t think any of us are, boo,” Zayn tells the short brunette who huffs out a laugh and Niall smiles softly. “What do you think, Ni?”

“I mean, I think it’ll be fine. We’ll all be together and we won’t be more than an hour away from home. I’ll be fine as long as I have you guys with me and I’m not too worried about anything else,” says Niall after a few seconds as he tears his gaze away from the peaceful lake and looks over at his two boyfriends who only smile fondly at him. “What?”

“You’re so cute,” Zayn simply tells him, leaning across the table to peck Niall’s lips lightly.

“Duh.”

Louis laughs at Niall’s response and goes over to sit on Niall’s lap. Niall giggles and wraps his arms around Louis’ waist, burying his face into the brunette’s neck. Zayn takes the opportunity that his two princesses are whispering and giggling to each other, completely distracted, and takes a picture of the two with the lake as their background and sets it as his wallpaper.

“Kids, dinner’s ready,” Harry calls out as he walks out of the house, watching Zayn smoking and leaning against the porch railing and Louis and Niall taking selfies. None of them heard Harry and the curly haired lad huffed in frustration.

Suddenly arms wrapped around Harry’s waist from behind, making him jump a little but he relaxed as he inhaled Liam’s familiar scent.

“Did you tell them dinner’s ready?” Liam asked his boyfriend.

“I did, but mister bad boy over there won’t waste his precious cigarette and our divas won’t stop taking selfies until they take the perfect one,” Harry replies and Liam chuckles, tightening his hold on Harry for a bit before pulling away.

“Morons, dinner’s ready!” Liam shouted and Louis and Niall jumped and Zayn put out his cigarette.

“Finally, I’m starving,” Niall says as he nudges Louis’ side until the slightly older lad gets the hint and stands up, grabbing Niall’s hand and helping him up from his seat.

“When are you not?” Zayn asks as they all head inside, Niall pouting as Louis and Liam laugh.

They eat dinner in front of the TV watching The Breakfast Club though they’re not really paying attention as they talk about their upcoming school year and their new life. Niall was really excited to move in with his four boyfriends in their first apartment together. They’d be starting uni in the fall and Niall has been really happy these last few years. Of course he still misses his mom, but he knows she’s watching over him and he tries hard everyday to make her proud. He hasn’t heard anything on Bobby and he isn’t sure whether to be relieved or slightly scared. Was he okay? Was he still alive? Had he regretted everything he did to him?

“You okay?” Zayn asks the blonde in his ear, rubbing his thigh gently.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine,” Niall replies as he smiles at Zayn who smiles back and pecks his lips lightly. “You’re so pretty.”

“You’re prettier.”

“Alright ladies, you’re both pretty, but we were talking about making s’mores later tonight, you two in?” Louis asks Zayn and Niall, breaking the two out of their little bubble. The two nod and express their excitement to the other three.

“Do we even have stuff to make s’mores?” Niall asks them.

“Who here knows how to start a fire?” Harry asks with a mouthful.

“Payno, apparently,” Louis replies with a roll of his eyes, clearly trying to rile Liam up and it works because he scoffs and shoves Louis. “He was a boy scout.”

“Were you really?” Niall asks Liam with a slight giggle and Zayn smiles fondly at the tiny blonde.

“Are you doubting me? But yes, I was for about two summers,” Liam informs the blonde who doesn’t even bother faking being impressed. He simply looks like he can’t believe Liam was even a boy scout. “Don’t doubt me, lad.”

“He’s got every right to doubt you, Payno. Didn’t your sister say you were a terrible boy scout?” Louis keeps teasing the older lad who turns to glare at him.

“Alright, just do your magic,” Zayn tells Liam as he walks out of the house with blankets.

Niall takes a blanket from Zayn and places it over his lap as he snuggles into the chair, watching Liam and Harry arrange the wood they were going to use for the fire. Louis was sitting next to him, still trying to rile Liam up, but with one final glare from Zayn, he shut up and instead turned to bother Niall.

“Why are you so annoying?” Niall asks his boyfriend, slapping his hands away and trying to avoid the poking Louis was doing to his sides.

“Your face is annoying,” Louis replies with a slight giggle and Niall rolls his eyes.

It’s nearly ten minutes later when Liam manages to successfully start a fire and the other three take their seats as they open up their supplies. They eat and joke around, Niall finding the night peaceful even if it was a little chilly. He had about three s’mores before he says he’s full and curls up under his blanket and stares into the fire.

“What are you thinking off, love?” Harry asks Niall since he was the closest to the blonde.

“Nothing much, just enjoying my time here,” Niall replies with a smile as he extends his arm out and Harry grabs Niall’s hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

It’s during night three of their stay that it storms. It's been raining almost all day and it decided to develop into a storm just as Niall was starting to fall asleep. He was alone in his own room when he jumped at the first clap of thunder.

Niall wanted to go out into the hall and search for one of the boys, preferably Harry since he lives with the guy and he's been comforting Niall through every storm since he came back to London. He doesn't though because he feels childish for being afraid of a little storm, but while being under Bobby's care in Ireland, the man left him home alone one night and it stormed pretty bad so since then he's developed a fear of storms and being left alone during a storm.

"Princess?" Comes Harry's soft voice as he opens the bedroom door and trying to search for his blonde princess in the dark. All he manages to see is a dark lump on the bed. "Ni, love."

"H-Harry?" Niall stutters out as he comes out from hiding under the blankets, letting out a small noise as lightning flashes and the thunder follows shortly after, loud enough to leave his ears ringing for a bit.

"Shh, princess, I'm right here," Harry coos as he reaches the bed and pulls Niall into his arms. "Wanna go sleep in bed with Lou and I?" Harry asks as he rubs Niall's back, trying to calm him down.

"Please," Niall mumbles into Harry's shoulder and then moves away briefly to grab Peter.

Harry could only smile fondly as he made the blonde wrap his thin legs around Harry's waist. The curly haired lad carried his youngest boyfriend back to his room where Louis was sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"What's going on?" Louis asks tiredly, scooting over to make room for Niall.

"Princess wants to sleep with us," is all Harry says and Louis grins as he helps Niall get comfortable in the center of the bed as Harry gets in on his other side. "Alright, snuggle up my loves!"

Niall giggles quietly as Harry and Louis press in close, wrapping their arms around him and by default Peter.

“I love you,” Niall mumbled, already half asleep and Louis and Harry only smiled.

It’s a month later when they’re back home and getting ready for when they head off to their apartment. Niall had been up in his room talking to his brother while the other four were in the living room arguing over the furniture for their place. Niall walks downstairs with red rimmed eyes that doesn’t go unnoticed by his four overprotective boyfriends who sit up straight up in their seats.

“Princess, what’s wrong?” Liam asks first as the blonde stands in front of them, tugging at the bottom of his shirt nervously.

“I need to go to Ireland,” Niall tells them quickly, biting his bottom lip afterwards.

“What? Why? Is your brother okay?” Harry asks next, clearly worried since Niall looked about seconds away from bursting into tears.

“My brother’s fine. It’s Bobby-”

“Fuck no. You’re not going to Ireland,” Louis states firmly, not wanting his blonde boyfriend anywhere near that man who caused him so much pain.

“He’s dying! Despite everything that happened, he’s still my father and I have every right to go and see him!” Niall shouts a bit angrily as he stared at Louis.

“He’s dying? Is he sick or something?” Zayn questions the blonde in a more calmer tone, not wanting to set him off since Louis wouldn’t stop glaring and Niall looked like he wanted to keep yelling at the stubborn brunette.

“He got in a car accident this morning and Greg said the doctor said it’s best we get ready for the worst. I-It was bad and-” Niall choked back a sob and Harry stood up and pulled him into his arms.

“Shh babe, of course you can go and we’re going with you. You’ll need the support, yeah?” Harry tells Niall, rubbing his back and pressing kisses to his cheek, temple and top of his head. “You’re not alone in this.”

“T-Thank you.”

“I’ll call my mom and start looking for plane tickets and you can go pack your things.”

Niall nodded and pulled away from Harry before he headed upstairs.

“Look, we obviously don’t like Bobby,” Zayn began as he looked at Louis who was still glaring at the spot Niall had been standing. “But Niall needs us right now. He’s about to lose his father and despite how Bobby might have been, Niall doesn’t deserve to lose both his parents.”

“I know it’s just, Niall’s already been through so much and now he has to go through the pain of losing someone else. He’s one of the sweetest people I know and life hasn’t been fair with him,” Louis explains quietly, not wanting Niall to listen in on them. They all know how much Niall hates being pitied.

“And we know that and we hate that he’s going through this just when things were finally going great, but he’s Niall and he’s also one of the strongest people we know. He’ll get through this and we’ll be there with him through all the lows just like we’ve been doing these past two years,” said Liam as he pulled Louis into his arms and kissed his head.

The five of them are on their way to Ireland later that night with Niall being quiet and staring out the plane window. Louis sleeps the hour and a half long plane ride with his head on Zayn’s shoulder and snuggled in one of Liam’s hoodies.

Denise picks them up at the airport and hugs Niall tight, letting him cry into her shoulder a bit and the other four give them a bit of privacy as they load their bags in the back.

“Greg’s in the hospital and Bobby wants to talk to you,” Denise says as she runs her fingers through Niall’s messy blonde hair.

“H-He’s awake?” Niall asks in shock as he pulls away from his sister in law.

“Barely. He’s really weak and doctor doesn’t think he’ll make it past tomorrow.”

Niall is quiet again after that and the ride to the hospital is a reminder of when he was going to see his mom at the hospital and he doesn't like it. His father might have turned out to be an awful man, but no one deserved to go through this.

"Greg," Niall greets his brother, hugging hm tight and closing his eyes as Greg's arms wrap around him and just holding him.

"Want to go in on your own?" Greg asks his brother as they walk down the hall to Bobby's room.

"Yeah. I need this, I guess," Niall replies a little unsurely as they stop in front of a door in the ICU.

"Alright. I'll be out here."

Niall nods and tugs the sleeves of his jacket of his hands. He was wearing dark colored joggers and an oversized hoodie with the name of the school he went to on the front in white bold letters. Stepping inside the room, nothing could prepare him for the sight he'd find his father in. He was hooked to many machines and he lay so still on that bed that if it weren't for the heart monitor, Niall would have thought that he'd been too late.

He stands right beside the bed and his father opens his eyes, lips tugging up into a small painful smile. Niall couldn't remember the last time his father ever smiled at him. He'd been so young.

"You came," Bobby spoke in a raspy voice.

"You're still my dad, despite everything," Niall replies as he pulls a chair closer and sits down. "I still care about you and I still love you."

"I'm sorry for everything." Bobby pauses and coughs rather painfully and it hurts Niall to see and hear his father like this. It hurts to know Niall that the only reason they're making up now is because Bobby might not have a tomorrow left. "I hurt you so much, my boy. So much."

"But I'm okay now. It took work, but I'm so happy."

It's quiet for a bit as Bobby closes his eyes and Niall fears like this is it, but then his father opens his eyes again and they're filled with tears as he looks at him.

"I just want you to forgive me for everything," Bobby says, a tear rolling down his left cheek.

"I already did two years ago. Just- I want you to know that I'm in a great place right now. I'm starting uni in the fall and my life in London is going great. The boys and I got a flat together and we're moving in in a few weeks," Niall tells his father excitedly, surprised he hasn't started crying yet.

"I'm proud of you and tell those boys to treat you right. I don't want them breaking your heart."

Niall let's out a small giggle and nods, promising to tell the boys.

"I-I missed you a lot," Niall tells him quietly a few moments later, gathering the courage to hold onto Bobby's hand carefully. "I always wondered if you were okay or not."

"I missed you too. A lot and I'd ask Greg about you and he'd show me pictures. I'm sorry I never got the courage to apologize before, but I always thought you hated me and that you didn't want anything to do with me." Bobby gave his son's hand a soft squeeze. It was barely anything, but Niall still felt it and he couldn't help but smile despite his heart breaking over this situation.

"You were so wrong. I could have used having my dad around. I needed you. I'm always going to need you. I just wish that us meeting again could have happened under much different circumstances."

"I know," Bobby whispers tiredly, and Niall knew that his father must be wasting so much energy on talking.

Niall falls asleep in the chair later that night, with his head on the edge of the bed and hand still holding onto his father's. He falls asleep to the sound of the heart monitor beeping, but wakes up when he flat lines.

A doctor and two nurses rush in, telling Niall to wait outside but the blonde knew it was useless. His father had been much too weak and their talk had felt an awful lot like a goodbye. Niall simply heads out of the room feeling numb and finds his brother, Denise and the boys in the waiting room.

"Ni?" Zayn calls, having been more awake than the others.

Niall shakes his head and sits down beside Harry on the only empty seat. It's quiet for two whole minutes before the doctor walks out and tells them what Niall already knew.

"Come on babe, we're heading off to Greg's place. There's nothing we can do here," Liam speaks gently as he kneels down in front of the blonde still hasn't reacted.

"Can I go say goodbye?" Niall whispers to Liam who voices Niall's question to the doctor who nods.

Niall heads back down the hall to the room and once he enters, his father is covered by a white sheet and that's when it hits him. His knees give out just as he reaches the bed and he's left kneeling and crying by the bed.

"Y-You left me t-too," Niall sobs, hands fisting the sheet as he looks at his father. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

He doesn't know what he's apologizing for. If it's for being different from his brother, for not having contacted Bobby all this time or the fact that his family broke into pieces when he showed up wearing a tiara for the first time. He's not sure, but he needed to say it.

"I love you," Niall whispers as he stands up. "Bye dad."

Niall stays in Ireland an extra two weeks while the boys headed back home two days after the funeral. They were scared to leave their youngest boyfriend, but knew he needed to spend time with his family so they could grieve together. When Niall returns to London, there's a smile on his face and his blue eyes are sparkling. He's wearing light colored skinny jeans with pink vans and stripped t-shirt. He's happy and greets all four of his boyfriends with a kiss.

"You look amazing, considering," Louis says, his arm around Niall's waist as they walk out of the airport.

"I closed a chapter of my life and I feel new. I still wish that my talk with dad would have happened in a different scenario and that he were still here so we could work on building back our relationship, but I got what I needed to hear. A sorry," Niall explains with a bright smile, holding Zayn's hand while Liam carried his bag and Harry held Louis' other hand.

"And we're happy for you, but how about we go and get some ice cream? It's hot and I could really use something to cool me down," Harry suggests.

"Only if you pay," Liam speaks up and they laugh.

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Niall and Louis both rolled their eyes at the same time and all five stepped out of the airport and headed off to find their car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After two years and two months (nearly) this story is now officially complete !! I just want to say a very massive thank you to all of you who stuck around since day one. I know updates were very slow and I put this story on hiatus an awful lot, but it’s over now! At the start this story was one of my favorite stories to write, but then it also slowly turned into a huge headache because I had no idea what to do.
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for joining me on this long ass journey. No there won’t be any type of sequel or anything as I want to focus on my new story which you’ll get a first chapter soon ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Updated when possible :)


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